Star Fox: Black Sun
by Ray85
Summary: In a system recovering from the Anglar Blitz, the Star Fox team is called once again to defend Lylat from a new threat. However, they are joined by a questionable character, and the fate of Lylat may rest upon his shoulders as well as the team's. Being driven by his own reasons, a new fox named Axios chooses to aid the team as they hunt down a gang known as the Black Suns.
1. A Routine Run

_PLEASE READ.  
In order to avoid any in all copyright issues:  
All Star Fox __characters are rightfully the property of their respective owners. I CLAIM ABSOLUTELY NO OWNERSHIP OF ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR VEHICLES OR PLANETS THAT ARE ALREADY THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. I only claim ownership of any other original characters depicted in the story__ (Axios, Luna, Corvo, The Nightshade, The Black Suns, The Void, etc.)._

_On one more note if you guys notice any errors such as grammatical or spelling, please leave a review. I want you guys to have the best possible experience with the story and I don't your experience to be tainted with minor errors._

_Now then; about the story. This is fictional story set two years after the events of Star Fox: Command. To make things a bit simpler, this is going off the ending "Fox and Krystal" in which Krystal decides to rejoin the team after Fox promised that they would always be together. Hopefully that will shed a bit more light on the setting._

1. A Routine Run

~The air with AA fire and laser fire. The Star Fox team was engaged in combat with low level insurrectionists that occupied a factory within MacBeth. Their objective was to neutralize this local resistance and continue a routine patrol over the planets within the Lylat system. Amidst the battle, AA fire was loosely trailing the _Skyclaw_.

"Come on!" yelled Falco, "I don't understand why these jokers don't just give up. They can hardly even provide me with a challenge here!"

The _Skyclaw _was spiraling between AA rounds and was gracefully cutting through the sky untouched. Falco was flying with half the effort as the AA fire was more humorous rather than intimidating.

"All right, my turn." said Falco.

He put the _Skyclaw_ into an angled dive and locked onto one of the AA guns and he launched a charge shot and quickly destroyed it. He noticed a second AA gun and veered his ship towards it, however; before he could destroy his second target, laser fire rained from above and destroyed the gun before he fire a single round.

"Hey what gives?" he thought.

He looked up and noticed the _Bullfrog_ quickly pulling out of a nose dive.

"Woo hoo hoo! Yea baby!" yelled Slippy.

"Hey come on man! He was mine!" called out Falco.

"Oh, sorry Falco. I'm just trying to have as much fun as I can here. Insurrectionists don't really provide much joy these days."

"Whatever."

The _Skyclaw_ and the _Bullfrog _quickly formed up on each other's wing but had to quickly break formation as there was one more AA gun harassing them from below. Falco and Slippy both locked gazes with each other and they both looked at the turret.

"Dibs!" they both called out.

Within a heartbeat, the _Skyclaw_ and the _Bullfrog_ dove down towards the AA gun. As soon as they were in range they had both charged their lasers for a quick kill; however, another set of lasers came before them and destroyed the gun position before they could get there in time.

"Sorry boys." Amanda giggled.

Falco and Slippy both pulled up and noticed the _Tadpole_ coming from the distance.

"Great, I lose both of my kills to the toads." said Falco.

"Hey hot shot, think of it as making your work easier on yourself." said Slippy." Besides, we still got to keep the skies clear for Fox and Krystal."

"Speaking of that," said Amanda, "What's taking them?"

Falco activated the communicator in his ship.

"Hey Foxie, how about an update?" said Falco.

Fox and Krystal were infiltrating the factory on the ground. Although the team was ordered to neutralize the insurrectionists, they were also ordered to retrieve what data they could that would aid the Cornerian military against these rebels. At the time of Falco's calling, Fox was taking cover behind a corner avoiding rifle fire from a group of insurrectionists that were down a large hall way from him.

"A little busy here Falco!" he said as he was firing his rifle.

"Fox!" cried out a feminine voice.

Fox quickly turned around and noticed a rebel was about to ambush him from behind; he had a knife ready in his hands and was charging at Fox in an attempt to stab him. As this rebel leaped out towards Fox, a fireball soared through the air and impacted the rebel in the head. The rebel fell to the floor with major burns to the head, and Fox placed a round into his head to put the soldier out of his misery. Fox turned to the source of the voice and smiled.

"Thanks Krystal!" he said.

"Be more careful!" Krystal said.

Krystal was behind cover holding her magical staff. She also had a blaster holstered to her belt in case she would be separated from her staff. Rifle fire continued to have to duo pinned down and Fox was still hiding behind cover until he heard a break in rifle fire. He peaked around the corner and aimed his rifle but immediately had to retreat behind it due to incoming fire.

"At this rate we'll never make it to the control room." Fox thought. "Why did these guys have to show up? This is ridiculous."

"I don't like that negativity, Fox." Krystal said.

Fox had forgotten that Krystal had the ability to read the mind of others. He would often become a bit weak minded when he was around her due to his feelings for her. However, this was not the time or place to be distracted.

"Well you got any bright ideas?" he called out to her.

"I might." she answered.

Krystal gripped her staff tightly, and its energy had started to glow.

"Get ready!" she called out to Fox.

Fox emptied the magazine in his rifle and replaced it with a fresh one. Krystal leaped into the air as a light ran up and down the staff. Krystal then used the staff's earthquake ability to create a shockwave that staggered all of the rebels. Fox turned the corner and opened fire and as he let his rounds fly, the rebels started to drop one by one.

"Just like target practice." he thought.

As soon as the last rebel dropped to the ground, Fox and Krystal emerged from the safety of their cover. They scanned the room and noticed that there were no more rebels.

"It looks clear." said Krystal

"Looks that way. Let's grab that data and go home." responded Fox.

Fox and Krystal made their way through the factory to find its main control center. When they reached the control room, Fox activated his communicator.

"Ok Falco, we're in the clear." Fox said.

There was no response in his com.

"Falco?" he said again.

"Oh, huh? What? Oh hey, you guys are done. About time." Falco responded.

"What were you doing? Taking a nap?"

"Na just rested my eyes a bit. You ready down there?"

"Almost, just need to grab the data. Tell ROB to bring in the _Great Fox_ for an extraction."

"Copy that bud."

"See you on board. Fox out."

Fox silenced his communicator and approached the console. Krystal had her staff in her hands ready in case another wave of rebels was to ambush them. As Fox started to work with the keys on the console, Krystal approached him.

"Hey Fox?" asked Krystal.

"Yea?" Fox responded.

"Why is the Cornerian military dealing with low level insurrectionists this far from home?"

"Peppy just wants to make sure that the Lylat is in a better state of peace. Ever since the Anglars the military has been even more cautious about another faction rising to power and bringing another threat."

"But why insurrectionists now?"

Fox continued punching in keys within the console. After a brief minute of typing, a loading bar was displayed onto the monitors and Fox stepped back from the console.

"No one knows." Fox said. "Peppy is seeking to arrest the leader to prevent any more terrorism. These rebels have launched a few skirmishes throughout the system, and the Cornerian military isn't pleased one bit."

Fox approached Krystal and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're being called in trying to preserve the peace; although sometimes, like today for instance, we're forced to use aggression." he said.

Krystal lowered her staff to relax herself. She enjoyed Fox's company and even more his soothing touch. She was the happiest person alive whenever she was with him; whether it was a mission or just recreational time back home on Corneria.

Krystal sheathed her staff and turned to face Fox. She took his hand and gently kissed it. Fox loved to see her happy and safe within his reach. He regretted his choice of asking her to leave Star Fox in the past, but every minute he has with her slowly eases his mind away from the memory of that dreadful mistake.

"I just wanted to make sure that everything is going to be ok." Krystal said.

Fox smiled, and came close to embrace her. He loved that feeling of warmth when Krystal was in his arms.

"Everything will be ok." he said. "I promise."

Krystal gave Fox an enticing look, and pointed her finger at him.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Fox McCloud." she said.

The two of their faces slowly approached each other. They were thinking about sharing a kiss with the other but before they could have their moment however, they were interrupted by a message that flashed onto the monitor.

"Download Complete" it said.

Fox smiled at Krystal and gently released her. He turned to face the console and he activated his communicator.

"ROB, do you have the data?" Fox asked.

A robotic voice responded through his communicator.

"Affirmative." ROB said. "Data transfer at one hundred percent, and I detect that all remaining rebels are on a retreat course."

"Yea that's right!" Falco interrupted. "Run so I don't have to kick your sorry hides a second time!"

"Odds are we'll probably run into them again, Falco." Amanda said. "At least now we can go home."

"I'll second that," Slippy said, "I could use a nap too; these insurrectionists aren't putting up much of a fight and it's making me really sleepy."

"OK," Fox said, "All ships report back to the _Great Fox_. ROB, we need an extraction."

"Affirmative." ROB said.

Within a matter of minutes, the _Skyclaw_, _Bullfrog, and Tadpole_ were secured in the hangar bay, and Fox and Krystal were beamed aboard the Great Fox. The team met up with ROB on board the ships bridge as ROB was analyzing the data they had received from within the factory.

"Find anything useful ROB?" Slippy asked.

"These files contain information on rebel forts and fleet locations. My analysis indicates that their numbers are falling rapidly, and that surrender from them will be imminent." said ROB.

"Well so much for their war effort." commented Falco.

"At least we know there won't be much more fighting left." Amanda commented.

"Either way, we have a job to do." Fox said. "The sooner we capture their leader, the sooner this rebellion of theirs will end."

"Incoming transmission." ROB said. "General Hare in on the comm."

"Let's see what's up with gramps." said Falco.

Fox nodded his head at ROB and soon a hologram of Peppy appeared over the ship's holoprojector.

"General Hare to Star Fox, do you read?" said Peppy.

Peppy was the general of the Cornerian military. He was in charge of dealing with the local insurrectionists and he was in charge of the many fleets the Cornerian military had. He also worked closely with the Star Fox team.

"We read you Peppy," Fox responded, "and we've recovered the data from the rebel factory here on MacBeth."

"Good work, but now we have a situation. I have ordered all of the fleet commanders back to Corneria immediately. There has been a development with insurrectionists that requires an immediate briefing. I would like you to attend this meeting."

"What's the problem Peppy?"

"We may have apprehended one of their leaders, but they're not what we expected."

Peppy took a moment to adjust his glasses.

"These insurrectionists mean little compared to what their leaders have in mind; Fox, the Lylat system in in grave danger."

The team exchanged looks amongst each other.

"Are their leaders that large of a threat?" asked Amanda.

"Yes and their intentions are far from friendly." Peppy responded.

"Ok," said Fox, "We'll be there."

"See you soon; Peppy out."

Peppy's image faded back into the holoprojector.

"ROB, take us home." Fox said.

"Affirmative." responded ROB.

All except Falco left the bridge and Fox turned back towards him.

"Coming Falco?" he asked.

"Nah, I think I'll catch some shut eye in here tonight. Make sure ROB doesn't screw up our flight home" Falco said jokingly.

"I am more than capable for plotting an optimal course to Corneria thank you very much." ROB said.

Fox waved Falco good bye and left the bridge.

"What's going on?" he thought. "So if these guys are just pawns, then who are these new players? I don't like this. Not one bit."

He continued down the halls of the _Great Fox_ towards the men's restroom. He could hear the showers running in the adjacent women's restroom.

"It's probably Krystal." Fox thought.

He continued into the men's restroom and noticed the clothing rack adjacent to the shower stalls. Fox started to undo his combat armor as he turned on the shower while his thoughts continued to surge in his head.

"I promised her that we would be together," he thought, "but if this new threat forces us apart then I'll never see her again for sure. Who are their leaders? What is so important that Peppy had to call every fleet commander back home? Why is it that when I am with her a new problem always arises?"

Fox undid the top of his combat armor and tossed it to the ground in his frustration. He was standing with the lower part of the armor and a black muscle t-shirt. He laid his hands on the wall and let his head sink.

"Why? I can't lose her again, and I promised that we would always be together."

To put a stop to his mental storm, he heard a knock on the door. He went to open it and noticed Krystal standing outside. Her hair was wet and she was in a black tank top with sweatpants. She had a towel wrapped around her neck as she had just exited the shower.

"You know," she said, "if there is anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you."

Fox realized where she was coming from.

"How much did you hear?" he asked.

"Enough"

"Krystal I-"

Krystal placed a finger on his lip.

"I know. You promised me that we will be together, and you're trying so hard to keep it that way. But for me, please don't stress yourself. I'll share the danger with you and we'll help each other through it. I'll always be there even in the darkest of times. But please, don't stress yourself." Krystal said.

Her words brought life back into Fox. He was relieved of his stress, and he smiled at Krystal. After a brief moment of exchanging smiles with each other, the two gently brought their faces together to share a kiss. Afterwards Krystal smiled at Fox and nodded at the showers.

"Now, I do believe that you were in the middle of something?" she said.

Fox turned towards the running water.

"I'll be back out in a bit." he said to her.

The two embraced again and Fox returned to the showers. He was at ease with his feelings, and his head was clear. The warm water ran throughout his fur, and he was relaxed as he could be. After a brief shower, he returned to his quarters and noticed that Krystal was sound asleep within his bed. Fox smiled at the sight and took a deep breath. After setting down his towel on his desk, he turned the lights off and gently crawled in with her. He placed his arm over her and held her close.

"Together, always together." he thought.

His eyes started to get heavy, and soon he drifted into sleep.

"Always together…"


	2. The Coming of Blackness

_PLEASE READ.  
Thanks for reading the previous chapter. My plan as far as publishing is doing one chapter per every few days. I do have other priorities that I need to attend to, but believe me; the LAST thing I want to do is disappoint my audience._

_Again, I appreciate you reading, and feel free to leave any input or comments so I can refine the story to your liking. Now, without further wait. _

2. The Coming of Blackness

~The following day, the _Great Fox_ travelled to Corneria and descended into the large Cornerian air way.

"Steady as she goes ROB." Fox said.

As the _Great Fox _gently touched down on a landing platform, the team prepared themselves for a short break at home.

"Home again," Falco said, "and now we're probably going to be stuck here for longer than I'd like."

"Considering how Peppy ordered us to come home," Slippy said, "I don't think we'll be here for long."

"Great Fox has touched down." ROB said. "The landing party is on its way to greet you."

"Better not keep them waiting." Fox said.

The Star Fox team exited the bridge and approached the main hangar bay. A platform lowered the team and as they exited the _Great Fox_ they were greeted by several officers.

"Welcome back sir." said a saluting bulldog.

-Within the Star Fox universe, the inhabitants were actually anthropomorphic animals living the lifestyles of people. They walked, talked, fed, and behaved like a normal human would. In the case of the Star Fox team, Krystal was a Vixen, Slippy was a toad, Amanda was a frog, Peppy was a hare, Falco was a falcon, and Fox was a fox. Other species included wolves, dogs, pigs, lizards and so on.-

Fox saluted the officer in return.

"Thanks." he responded. "Are you here to escort me to the briefing?"

"Those were our instructions. General Hare is about to begin; if you would please follow us."

Fox turned back to the team.

"Get some rest guys." Fox said. "If this situation is as bad as it sounds, we're going to need every ounce of strength we have for the future."

"Fill us in Foxie." Falco said.

"Sounds good to me." Slippy said.

"All right." Amanda said.

Krystal was the last to leave. As she walked away, she turned back to Fox.

"Be careful. Ok?" she said.

Fox smiled at her and reassured her that he was going to be fine. The two exchanged a passionate look from the other and then they went their separate ways. The officer escorted Fox to a hovercraft and the two entered the vehicle and soon the car sped away from the air strip.

"Am I the last to arrive?" asked Fox.

"Yes sir. The general wanted to wait until you arrived." the officer responded. "Don't worry; you're not holding every one up. In fact they are still preparing the briefing."

Fox sat back in the seat of the hover craft. His thoughts again returned to what the problem could be.

"Every commander?" he thought. "Peppy, why everyone? Why every commander? Is this new threat that serious?"

He shook the thoughts out of his head and focused more on the briefing.

"Do you know how long this briefing will take?" he asked the officer.

"Couldn't say." the officer responded. "I just know that these kinds of meetings tend to take a while."

The officer turned his head towards Fox.

"To be honest," he said, "your guess about the briefing is as good as mine. I honestly have no idea what's going on, but I'm getting the feeling that there's something wrong. I mean, why would Peppy call every leader to this briefing?"

The officer's questions raised the thoughts again in Fox's mind.

"I don't know," Fox said, "but it's probably just a precaution."

"Hope so. I'm not ready for another war like the Apparoids or the Anglars."

"Neither am I." Fox thought.

After a few more minutes of traveling, the car had arrived at a large building within the Cornerian capital. Fox dismounted the car and turned to the officer.

"Thanks for the lift Officer…"

"Price. Officer Randy Price sir." responded the officer.

"Thanks Officer Price."

Fox waived good bye, and the car sped off. He turned to enter the large tower and was greeted by another officer. This officer escorted Fox up a staircase and up to a pair of large double doors. Fox entered through the doors into a large conference room. This room had monitors all over the walls, and a large, forty foot diameter circular table in the middle with chairs lined around it. When he entered, he found all of the fleet commanders conversing amongst themselves. Peppy noticed Fox's arrival and went over to greet him.

"Staying out of trouble?" he asked.

"You know me, Peppy." Fox responded.

"Yes, I do, and that's why I'm always concerned; especially with Falco's destructive habits."

The two laughed for a moment and then Fox took his seat. Peppy approached the front of the conference room and raised his hand. All of the commanders took their seats and the briefing had begun.

"I'm sure many of you still have questions as to why I called this emergency briefing." Peppy said. "We have a new situation. One of our fleets, the 7th Anchorage fleet, was completely destroyed four days ago."

The commanders started to whisper amongst each other as they were distraught of the news.

"Who did this?" asked one commander.

"How did this happen?" asked another.

Peppy raised his hand to silence the commanders.

"We have no information as to who these attackers are, or where they came from." Peppy said. "However, what we do know is that we captured one of the enemy fighters and its pilot."

Peppy reached over the table for a small console that controlled a projector. He pushed a few buttons and an image of a fighter appeared on the monitors. The fighter was caught in freeze frame as it was firing its lasers at a Cornerian frigate. The image caused another stir amongst the commanders.

"This image was taken by a drone that was surveying the fleet." Peppy said. "Notice the fighter; its physical structure does not match it with any Cornerian, or insurrectionist design. This indicates that we are dealing with a completely new faction."

Fox leaned to the edge of his seat to get a better glimpse of the fighter. The ship resembled the structure of his own _Arwing II_; however the wings seem to resemble a mix between a _Wolfen_ and Slippy's _Bullfrog_. The exterior hull was colored black, and the windows of the cockpit were tinted. Fox was puzzled at the image and could not deduce where the fighter would have come from.

"This is no insurrectionist." he thought. "Maybe Peppy's prisoner might have some answers."

Fox stood from his seat and soon all attention was focused on him.

"Peppy," he asked, "What do we know about the pilot? And do we know exactly what his intentions were other than destroying an entire fleet?"

Peppy pushed a button on the console. All of the monitors behind him turned off and the walls behind him started to move to the side. The walls behind Peppy opened to reveal a brightly lit prisoner cell.

"Why don't you ask him?" Peppy responded.

Peppy stepped to the side to reveal a figure hunched over and tied to a chair. Its face was lowered and shadowed by the light from above. All the attention was focused on this figure and the commanders were stirred once more.

Fox looked more closely to notice that the figure was a fox with silver colored fur. He had a black sleeveless shirt top with black pants. He also had a white stripe of fur that ran through the top of his head. Peppy turned to the rest of the commanders.

"This is one of our culprits." he said.

The commanders all leaned towards the new fox and they tried to see if they can get a glimpse of its face. They noticed that the fox had its eyes closed, and was completely motionless as if though it was in a trance.

"He has not spoken since his incarceration." Peppy said. "He also resisted arrest, shot down three fighter squads, and even after we disabled his ship, he killed four more of our men before surrendering. He is not with the insurrectionists, and his ship bears no colors. However, we know he does not work alone."

Fox left his seat and approached the front of the table. He was now standing in front of a four inch thick glass wall that separated him and the prisoner as he was staring down at his fellow vulpine brother.

"Peppy," Fox said, "has he been questioned yet?"

"Any attempts of interrogation have been met with him breaking a limb of a guard." Peppy responded.

One of the commanders stood from his seat in an angry fit.

"General," he said, "why hasn't he been punished?"

Peppy turned to face the commander.

"Commander Toran," Peppy said, "we will have him dealt with accordingly after this hearing has been dismissed."

"This man doesn't deserve to be dealt with accordingly." Toran said. "His efforts and that of his accomplices have destroyed an entire fleet. The courts would see him through their own judiciary system, but I would see him sentenced to death by firing squad."

Fox turned to face the commander. Commander Roux Toran was a decorated fleet commander and had been involved within many conflicts. He was a hare, much like Peppy, but he was taller ad his fur was a darker grey.

"I think a fair trial would suit the general public." Fox said.

Toran turned towards Fox and shot his a look of disgust.

"Fox McCloud, the hero of the Lylat system." he said. "If your team wasn't comprised of renegades I might have saluted you."

"My team is comprised of honorable pilots, and they are my friends." Fox said in an infuriating tone. "Watch what you say, because they've sacrificed a great deal to keep the Lylat safe."

"And we have just sacrificed an entire fleet for the cause of dealing with insurrectionists. I don't want to hear how a band of hot shots try to contribute more than the Cornerian Navy."

Peppy stepped in between the two.

"That's enough." he said. "In regards to the things we have discussed, a follow up will be sent in each of your debriefings. As of right now, you are all ordered to immediately report any suspicious activity in your sectors. Be on your guard gentlemen because as of this moment we have something else to worry about other than low level insurrectionists."

All the commanders turned toward Peppy. They stood in attention and saluted the general. Even Fox turned to salute Peppy. Peppy saluted everyone in return and dismissed the briefing. However, Toran sneered at Fox on his way out the door.

"We'll continue this later, Fox McCloud." Toran said.

Fox didn't reply. He just watched as Toran exited through the door.

As the last commander left, Peppy approached Fox.

"Toran is a bit of a stickler," he said, "but don't let the guy bother you. Look past his attitude and you'll find him to be an honorable man."

"He's not the one that's bothering me," Fox said, "I'm more concerned about our guest here."

Fox and Peppy looked at the prisoner. The vulpine had not moved an inch even when Fox and Toran were arguing.

"Let's say hi." Peppy said.

Fox and Peppy approached the glass. Peppy went over to the side and started to press buttons on the console.

"He should be able to hear you now." Peppy said.

Fox looked down to the vulpine.

"Can you hear me?" he asked.

The vulpine did not respond.

"Hey, unlike the other commanders, I'm probably going to be the most sincere person you'll get to talk to in a while. Take advantage of the moment while you can." Fox said.

Again, the vulpine responded with silence.

Fox was irritated. If there was one thing that bothered him is that it was being ignored and so Fox slammed his fist against the glass.

"HEY!" he said abruptly.

In a moment after he slammed his fist. The vulpine opened his eyes. He slowly lifted his head and looked at Fox with a serious face. Fox locked gazes with the silver vulpine's grey eyes. He appeared similar in physical appearance to Fox other than the eye and fur color change. They were both around the same age only with the silver vulpine being a year older.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Fox asked.

The vulpine just sat there staring at Fox. His hands were behind the chair and he simply sat in attention.

"You got a name?" Fox asked.

The silver vulpine rose from his chair and gave Fox a look if irritation. Fox noticed that the restraints that bound his wrists together were broken and the silver vulpine was able to move his arms freely with ease. He simply stood in front of the chair keeping a distance between him and Fox. As if though it was a miracle, he spoke.

"Before we talk, I need a name." he said.

The vulpine spoke in a tone that also resembled Fox. However, his voice was a little bit deeper and had a small amount of an English accent that could be heard in it.

"The name is Fox McCloud." Fox responded.

"The son of James McCloud? The hero of Lylat?" the silver fox asked.

The first statement caught Fox off guard.

"How do you know my father?" Fox asked.

"You'll find that I know many things. Some of those things include your parents, your team, even your love, Krystal."

Fox became infuriated. The fact that this criminal spoke Krystal's name was enough to anger Fox.

"You don't have to worry," the vulpine said, "my intentions are not to harm the members of Star Fox."

"But you and your comrades destroyed a Cornerian fleet." Fox said. "I'd say your intentions to harm are rather obvious."

"Would it be too much to say that my crew and I destroyed it out of self-defense?"

Fox was puzzled.

"What do you mean self-defense?" he asked.

The vulpine started to approach Fox. He stopped before he reached the glass and he looked up and down and placed his hands upon the glass and sighed.

"They must have been quite disappointed with our actions." he said. "But the Black Suns are within their rights to defend themselves if fired upon."

"The Black Suns?" Fox asked. "Is that the name of your group?"

The vulpine now locked gazes with Fox. The two were staring at each other with straight faces.

"Tell me," the vulpine said, "what would you give to protect the ones that you love?"

"I would give whatever it takes." Fox replied. "I would even give everything if I had to."

"Are you sure? Would you be willing to sacrifice your own physical self to save those you care about?"

Fox took a moment to ponder his answer.

"I would give whatever it would take to protect my friends." he said.

The vulpine turned away from Fox and walked back to his chair. Fox caught a glimpse of a scar going into the back of the vulpine black shirt.

"It looks like you've sacrificed quite a bit." Fox said.

The vulpine stopped in his tracks and he reached down towards his waist and took off his sleeveless top. Fox was slightly disturbed at the sight as the vulpine's back was covered with scars and old wounds.

"I've sacrificed more than quite a bit." the vulpine replied.

The vulpine turned and put his shirt back on as he approached Fox.

"As a soldier, we are expected to protect and serve. As a person, we are expected to protect the things we care about."

Soon the silver vulpine was up against the glass facing Fox. However, the vulpine grew tense and he slammed his hands on the glass wall.

"But in regards to morals, what do we do when we learn that our sacrifice was all for not?" the vulpine said angrily.

That last statement got Fox to think.

"My sacrifices have been for nothing. I've lost my most precious jewel to this cruel life we live and now I have nothing left." the vulpine said. "I only have this cell, and perhaps the death that awaits me in the end."

Fox looked over to the side and locked gazes with Peppy. Peppy gave Fox a questionable look and Fox then looked back at the vulpine.

"What's your name?" Fox asked.

The vulpine lowered his head.

"Axios. My name is Axios." he said.

"Axios," Fox said, "What if I said that I can get you a second chance? What if I said you could have a chance to rewrite some wrongs?"

Axios raised his head and looked at Fox. As soon as he looked into his eyes, Axios turned and sat back down on the chair.

"What would you ask of me?" he said.

Peppy approached the glass wall and stood next to Fox.

"The names, the location, and the plans of your accomplices." Peppy said. "In exchange, you'll be granted a minimal sentence with a good chance for a parole hearing."

"You'll have me help you while I still get locked up?" Axios said.

"Right now you're looking at the death penalty son."

"Really…"

Axios sat back in his chair and took a deep breath.

"On one condition." he said.

"Out with it." Peppy responded.

"I want my ship. If I'm going to help, you'll need my skills. Also, I want to work personally with Star Fox. I don't trust the rest of the Cornerian military with the information I can give."

Fox looked at Peppy. Peppy nodded his head and looked back at Axios.

"Done. You'll see your ship being transferred to the _Great Fox_ when you're released from here." Peppy said. "But be warned; you will be monitored closely, and an override will be installed in your fighter if we find that you're planning on running."

"Fair enough." Axios replied.

Peppy walked over to the side and pushed a few buttons on the console. Fox looked up as the glass wall was lifted into the ceiling. There was nothing in between Axios and Fox at this point. Axios stood from his chair and approached Fox. He held out his hand and grinned at Fox.

"I look forward to doing business with Star Fox." he said.

Fox took Axios's hand and the two shook hands.

"Don't think I won't be watching you." Fox said.

"I'd expect nothing less."

"We'll have him escorted to the air way tomorrow along with his ship." Peppy said to Fox. "Get some rest; you two will have some work to do."

"Take care Peppy." Fox said.

Fox approached the exit door but had to step aside as a group of guards entered the briefing room to take care of Axios. Fox looked at Axios and Axios looked back at Fox and the two were definitely on their guard. As Fox left the tower, he was greeted once again by Officer Randy Price.

"Good to see you sir." Price said in a salute.

"You don't have to salute me," Fox said happily, "I'm not too big on formalities."

"I trust everything turned out well?"

Fox looked back up the tower from the street level.

"I'd sure like to think so…"


	3. Troubled Minds

_PLEASE READ.  
I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Also, please offer any input if you'd like to. I'm always open to criticism, and I'll do whatever I can to fine tune the story to your liking. Any ways, enjoy chapter 3_

3. Troubled Minds

~The team was anxiously waiting in the bridge of the _Great Fox_. They were on edge since Fox told them about the briefing. They didn't accept the fact that a convict was going to work with them in exchange for judicial freedom.

"If he tries anything," Falco said, "I'll take my blaster and put a hole in his head."

"I'll crush him with the _Landmaster._" Slippy said.

"I don't like this Fox," Amanda said, "do you trust him?"

"I don't know." Fox responded. "All I know is that he has information we need, and he wants to help us."

Fox was seated in a chair in front of the windshield looking out over the run way. He saw Axios being escorted to the _Great Fox_ and he even saw Axios's fighter being towed behind him. He crossed his arms and was thinking deeply about his decision.

Krystal noticed the look on Fox's face and she could tell that he was irritated. She didn't want to read his mind to find out what was wrong, but she didn't like to see him so distraught. She gently placed her fingers on her forehead as Fox was looking the other way.

"What did he loose?" Fox thought. "Where did he get all those scars, and he didn't even ask for immunity. He's accepting his punishment, but he's helping any ways. What is he after?"

Fox let out a sigh.

"There's something to it." He thought. "If he's helping us like this then he must have a good reason. He even shook my hand and didn't try to escape. Based on what Peppy said, he could have easily fought his way out or even brake my arm. But why didn't he try to run away? None of this makes sense."

Krystal tried to read deeper into Fox's thoughts. She witnessed Fox's memories as she saw that he shook hands with their new visitor. The sight made her nervous and she removed her fingers from her forehead.

"Fox," she thought, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Fox," ROB said, "a ship has been locked into the hanger, and the prisoner is being brought to the bridge."

"Thanks ROB." Fox said.

The team turned towards the bridge entrance. They all stood there, except Fox who was sitting, waiting for those doors to open. Falco, Slippy, and Amanda all had one of their hands on their blasters, and Krystal was holding her staff in her hands while her arms were crossed. After what felt like hours of wait, the doors to the bridge opened and the team gazed upon their new guest.

"Guys," Fox said, "this is Axios."

The team was relatively surprised with Axios's appearance. He bore great resemblance to Fox minus the fact that his fur was a different color and he was dressed in black clothing. He had a black jacket over his sleeveless shirt, and his last new addition was locater brace attached to his ankle.

"Axios, this is the Star Fox team." Fox continued.

"Nice to finally meet you all in person." Axios said.

"Well Foxie," Falco said, "if I didn't know better; I'd say you two were related."

"Thankfully we're not." Axios said.

"You should be in jail." Slippy said.

"You're lucky you're getting a second chance and not a plasma round to the head." Falco said.

Axios crossed his arms and gradually leaned to the side.

"You don't have to like me, and I surely don't like any of you hot shots either. But I'm being offered a second chance and I don't go back on my word." he said.

"Don't cross us." Amanda said.

"Not my intention."

Fox stood from his chair and walked in between his team to be standing in between them and Axios.

"Let's settle something first." Fox said. "Don't think this is your chance to run away. If your accomplices bring a threat to the Lylat system, they have to be stopped. When the time comes, are you willing to face them considering you're helping us?"

"My reasons for helping for you are my own." Axios replied. "When the time comes, I'll face them; and I'll do so flying by your side, not theirs."

"He isn't going to become a member of Star Fox is he?" asked Slippy

"No." replied Axios. "I don't think I would even if you asked me to."

"Good thing we aren't asking then." Falco retorted.

Axios uncrossed his arms and stepped towards Falco. Fox stepped in front of him blocking his approach. He wasn't about to have Falco and Axios starting a fight aboard the _Great Fox_.

"Falco, relax." Fox said. "Our new guest won't become a problem."

Fox paused and gave Axios a questionable look.

"Will he?" he said.

"That depends on you." Axios responded.

Krystal walked up through Falco, Slippy, and Amanda and stood next to Fox.

"So your gang destroyed the fleet?" she asked.

"I can honestly say I'm not proud to admit it but yes." Axios responded.

"How many of you were there?"

"Before I answer that, I think we should get moving. I was told to help you, and I plan to do so."

Everyone was alert for Axios's treachery. His method of avoiding Krystal's question rose a bit of suspicion amongst the Star Fox team.

"Then how are you going to help us then?" Slippy asked.

"I hope you don't mind the cold, but if you want to find my comrades, then you'll have to head to Fichina." Axios replied.

Fox turned to ROB.

"ROB, set a course to Fichina." Fox said.

"Affirmative." ROB replied.

"I'll answer any questions on the way." Axios said.

The team spread out through the bridge and every one took a seat. They buckled themselves in and the _Great Fox_ slowly lifted off the Cornerian air way. After a few minutes, the ship fired its engines and ascended into the planet atmosphere. Soon the _Great Fox _was in orbit over Corneria, and the engines prepped for a light speed jump to Fichina.

"Entering jump in 3… 2… 1…" ROB said.

Soon a small blue field started to surround the windshield of the _Great Fox's _bridge, and the massive ship entered a light speed jump. The team unstrapped the harnesses from their chairs and sat comfortably. All attention was now turned to Axios.

"So," Krystal said, "about my question?"

"There were eight of us." Axios responded.

"What?" Slippy asked. "You're telling me the eight of you guys took down an entire Cornerian fleet? That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible." Axios responded. "The fleet had many fighters try to shoot us down, but my comrades and I are very skilled pilots."

"Who exactly are your comrades?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know their names." Axios said. "For our own safety, none of us ever shared names. We gave each other numbers to hide our identities."

Axios paused for a moment to ponder the information he was about to give. At the same time, Krystal was gently leaning her head off the side as she slouched a bit in her seat. Her arm was rested on the arm rest and her fingers were gently pressed upon her head. She was trying to read his mind for any signs of lies.

"We are known as the Black Suns." Axios continued. "There have always been eight and only eight members of this group; including myself."

"And where exactly can we find your friends?" Falco asked.

When Axios turned to Falco to answer his questions, he noticed that Falco had a rifle leaning up against his seat.

"Are you eager to get revenge Falco?" Axios asked.

"I'm asking the question here pal." Falco said.

Axios leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.

"I don't know where I can find them." he said.

"That wasn't our deal." Fox said.

"I know our deal. The issue is that we're ghosts. We are always separated from each other to avoid causing damage to each other."

"Causing damage to each other?" Krystal said.

"Let's just say I'm not on friendly terms with a few of my comrades."

"I can't imagine why." Falco said.

"I'll second that." Slippy said.

"Third." Amanda said.

Before Axios could respond, an alarm started to sound within the bridge of the _Great Fox_.

"Exiting jump in 3… 2… 1…" ROB said.

After a brief moment of deceleration, the ship was now approaching the planet Fichina.

"Approaching Fichina space zone." ROB said.

The team stood from their chairs and approached the windshield.

"Brrr, just looking at the planet gives me chills." Amanda said.

"Good thing our ships have good heating." Slippy responded.

"All right," Fox said, "Axios, what are we looking for down there?"

Axios stood from his chair and approached the team.

"We're looking for one of my comrades." Axios said. "The particular one we're looking for is identified with the number seven."

"I thought you said you didn't know where any of them were?" Slippy asked.

"All but one." Axios said. "Seven would often remain close to Fichina. He enjoyed the cold."

"Any leads?" Krystal asked.

"He won't be around the climate control center; that I can promise you. In the outskirts, however, there is an abandoned insurrectionist out post. That would be a likely place to start."

"So, search and destroy? I like it." Falco said.

"Beware," Axios said, "Seven is no push over pilot. Don't underestimate his abilities."

"I guess we should get down there and see for ourselves." Slippy said.

The team turned and walked out of the bridge towards the hangar bay. Before Fox would leave the bridge however, Krystal grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Fox," she said, "I need to tell you something."

Fox turned back to face Krystal.

"Tell me." he said.

"It's about Axios. There's something strange about him. I don't know how to explain it, but I sense that there's something he's not telling us." Krystal said.

"Is he leading us into a trap?"

"I don't think so, but there is something in the back of his mind that is eating away at him. I couldn't see it as he was trying to bury it behind in the back of his mind. Almost like trying to hide a memory."

Fox took a moment to embrace Krystal. She wrapped her arms around him and the two shared a moment before they would depart.

"We'll be careful." Fox said. "But should anything happen, I-"

Krystal placed a finger on Fox's lip to silence him.

"Don't act like you're going to let anything happen." she said.

"Ok."

Fox and Krystal joined the rest of the team in the hangar bay. The Star Fox team climbed into their fighters and was ready to be launched into space. They all watched as Axios climbed into his ghostly, black fighter. They saw his cockpit window close and his figure disappeared behind the tinted glass.

"Hey hot shot," Falco said over the communicator, "does that hunk of junk have a name?"

Axios flipped a switch and the engines were primed for launch. He strapped himself into the cockpit and turned on his radio.

"My ship is known as _Nightshade_. I designed her myself." Axios responded.

"Let's see if she is any good as she looks." Falco said.

"Oh you'll see." Axios thought.

"Remember, I got my eye on you." Slippy said. "You do anything to mess up this operation and you're going to regret it."

"Of course I will." retorted Axios.

"Locks are released." ROB said over the communicator. "Launching in 3… 2... 1…"

Just as his count down struck one, the six ships were launched outside the hangar into orbit. The fighters descended through the planet's atmosphere into the frozen tundra of Fichina.

"This is it." Fox said. "Let's grab this guy and go home. Mission is a go."


	4. Shattered Memories

_Now the new adventure starts! Hopefully you guys didn't mind the two info heavy chapters. From here on out the action picks up. And Axios? What about his secrets? That's up to you guys to find out. Thanks for reading so far, and enjoy the chapter!_

4. Shattered Memories

~The team took a moment to adjust themselves to the chilly conditions of Fichina's climate.

"Ah, good old Fichina. Nice and cold, my favorite…" Falco said sarcastically.

"Would you rather be flying over Solar?" Amanda asked.

"No way!" Slippy remarked. "I'll take cold over heat any day."

"I'll level with Slip on that one." Falco commented.

The _Bullfrog, Skyclaw, _and _Tadpole _made a triangle formation with the _Skyclaw_ being in front. Next to them was another triangle of ships. The _Arwing II, Cloud Runner, _and _Nightshade_ made up this triangle formation with the _Nightshade _at the head. On top of that however, the Star Fox team was very weary of Axios's actions throughout the operation.

"All right," Fox said, "where to Axios?"

Axios punched in the coordinates to the abandoned out post and forwarded it to the team.

"What?" Slippy said. "Hey, Axios or whatever. Are you sure these coordinates are right?"

"These are the coordinates, I can assure you that." Axios replied. "It leads to the abandoned outpost."

"But that means that they lead underground." Amanda stated.

"Well, the outpost isn't necessarily underground. There is a large cliff about 15 kilometers from our current position. The outpost is embedded into the cliff wall."

"Makes sense I guess." Krystal said. "It would be impossible to attack from above or below. There would be only one place to approach it."

"And that one approach would be heavily defended." Fox said.

"The outpost has been abandoned for several years. There's no need to worry about defenses." Axios said.

"Either way don't let your guard down team." Fox said.

The fighters continue to soar over the frozen tundra of Fichina until they reached a massive cliff edge. All the fighters pointed their ships downward until they were each in a nose dive. They had plenty of space to fly downward as the cliff was well over several thousand feet high. With the increased speed from the nose dive they were quickly approaching the coordinates for the outpost. After a brief minute of flying, they had reached their coordinates. They found the outpost completely embedded into the ice cliff with only a landing platform extended from the cliff wall.

"What a dump." Slippy said.

"Really?" Amanda asked.

"No kidding, doesn't seem like there's any one home." Falco commented.

"I don't like this." Krystal said. "This could be a trap."

"Stay on your guard." Fox said. "Fichina has its surprises."

Amanda was uneasy about the whole situation as well. She was looking close at the outpost and noticed that there was something moving next to the landing pad.

"Guys?" she said. "I see something moving."

"What? Moving?" Fox asked. "Where?"

Before Amanda could answer his question, there was a glowing red light behind the cliff wall. The team had noticed that the ice on the cliff was had started to shift, and soon a giant door opened from within the cliff wall.

"Jeez-lo-weez what is that?!" Falco asked.

As the giant ice door opened, it revealed the metallic structure of the outpost embedded in the ice. It was a tall structure that resembled the large factories on MacBeth.

"Uh, Fox…" Slippy said. "That outpost has guns powering up!"

After a brief moment, the outpost turrets started to open fire upon the Star Fox team, and soon the air was littered with AA fire.

"Evasive action!" Fox called out.

All six fighters broke formation in a heartbeat.

"Time for some action!" Falco called out.

The _Skyclaw_ turned towards the base and barrel rolled through AA fire. Falco locked onto one of the stationary guns and released a charge shot. The energy from the blast destroyed the AA position, and Falco bore away from the cliff wall. Fox quickly followed his example and brought the _Arwing II_ on a bombardment run behind Falco. Fox destroyed an additional turret and broke of his attack to follow Falco.

In response to the turrets being destroyed, the hangar bay doors had started to open. Soon a squadron of insurrectionist fighters started to pour out through the door to intercept the Star Fox team.

"Enemy fighters moving to intercept." ROB said over the communicator.

"Hey convict!" Slippy said. "I thought you said this place was abandoned!"

"Axios you double crossing back stabber!" Amanda said.

"Hey hey hey!" Axios responded. "This place is supposed to be abandoned. There were never insurrectionists at this outpost last time I was here."

"Team, it doesn't matter now. Our objective is to neutralize these insurrectionists." Fox said. "Engage the outpost and clear them out."

"With pleasure." responded Falco

"I'm on it!" Slippy and Amanda responded.

"Right!" said Krystal

Soon the team engaged in air combat while taking fire from the base. The odds were definitely not in their favor as they were outnumbered.

"ROB, we're going to need a hand here!" Fox said.

"Location confirmed. Sending supplies." ROB responded.

Fox noticed a flashing icon on his radar and piloted his fighter towards ROB package. He locked on to the package and flew by it to pick up a smart bomb. He then veered off to find a large cluster of insurrectionist pilots. As soon as he found a large group, he locked on to the fighter that was closest to the center.

"Bombs away!" he said.

Fox pressed a secondary button on his triggers and launched a smart bomb towards his target. The resulting explosion caused all the surrounding ships to be destroyed. However, his victory was short lived as his attention was soon diverted away from his multiple kills.

"Fox! I need some help!" Slippy said.

Slippy was being tailed by a trio of fighters. He banked left and right, up and down, and barrel rolled to shake is chasers but he had no success.

"I'm coming Slippy hold on!" Fox replied.

Within a few seconds, Fox heard another cry of distress over his radio.

"Oh no! Fox, I need help!" Krystal said.

Fox couldn't go after both at the same time, and he was forced to choose. His choice would be difficult as he was closer to helping Slippy rather than Krystal.

"Falco, can you get Krystal?" Fox asked.

"I'm a little preoccupied at the moment!" Falco said as he was shaking some pursuers.

"Amanda?" Fox asked.

"Just a minute." Amanda said as she was attacking a turret position.

"Go after the toad." Axios said. "I'll get Krystal."

Fox was reluctant to let someone else save Krystal but he didn't have a choice. Axios found this to be a moment where he could prove his loyalty to the Star Fox team.

Fox closed in on Slippy's attackers and locked onto the center fighter in between the other two. He charged up his blasters and fired away. The resulting explosion of impact caused the two adjacent fighters to be destroyed as well.

"Thanks Fox!" Slippy said

Fox instantly U-turned his fighter and darted after Krystal.

"I'm coming Krystal." he thought.

Another trio of fighters started to close in on Krystal. They started to fire their lasers and Krystal was now dodging rounds.

"Fox! I need help!" Krystal cried.

As she let out her cry, Axios brought the _Nightshade_ into firing position behind the insurrectionist fighters. He locked on and had his finger on the trigger. Before he started to fire however, he saw the image of a feminine vulpine flash before his eyes. The female vulpine had silver fur, and she bore similar features to Krystal. She turned and smiled at Axios and he felt a warming embrace.

"What?" he thought.

He quickly shook off the thought as he heard Krystal let out another cry as her ship was shot with a laser round.

"Oh no!" she cried.

Axios squeezed the triggers and let his laser fire fly towards the hostile fighters. One by one they were shot out of the sky and Krystal was safe from danger. Krystal looked to the side as she saw the _Nightshade_ turn away. She realized that it was Axios who had saved her. As she saw him fly away, she could feel a strange mental disturbance within his ship. She quickly placed her fingers on her forehead and tried to read his mind.

"It's her." Axios thought. "Why? Why does she remind me of her? Why am I seeing her? This is not the time, this is unbelievable."

Krystal looked deeper and she saw the faint image of a silver, feminine fox within his thoughts. She quickly connected the pieces and realized what was troubling Axios.

"So that's what he meant." she thought.

The _Cloud Runner_ had received damage on the left wing. Krystal was still able to fly and fight in the sky, but she would have to be more cautious from then on. Fox quickly joined Krystal and noticed the damage on her wing.

"Krystal! Are you ok?" asked Fox.

"I'm fine." She responded. "But Fox, I need to talk to you."

"Let's take care of this and we will."

Fox never left Krystal's side for the remainder of the mission. He would fly by her wing to make sure that no one else would try to attack. While he flew next to her, Axios formed up on Falco's wing and the two fighters made a run on the turrets.

"All right hot shot." Falco said. "Let's see how you handle that tin can."

"Let's see how you handle your hunk of junk." Axios retorted.

The two ships flew straight at the cliff wall dodging AA fire. The _Skyclaw _and the _Nightshade_ both opened fire upon the platform. The two ships nearly cut the platform in half as they unleashed a barrage of laser fire upon the outpost. They both destroyed what was left of the turrets and the two ships broke formation to fly away from the cliff wall.

"Not bad." Falco thought. "Guess this guy is better than he looks."

Axios banked left to avoid the cliff edge but noticed that the _Tadpole_ was being tailed by enemy fighters.

"Guys, I need some help!" Amanda called out.

"I'm on it!" Slippy replied.

The _Bullfrog_ started to trail Amanda's attackers. He started to open fire when a laser round struck the back of his hull.

"Hey! Butt off you jerks!" Slippy said.

Axios noticed Slippy was in danger and moved to assist.

"Hold on toad." Axios said.

"I have a name! It's Slippy! And I'd appreciate it if you started using it!" Slippy yelled.

"Just hold still, Slippy." Axios responded.

The _Nightshade_ lined up behind Slippy's attackers and opened fire. He shot down each of Slippy's followers and formed up next to the _Bullfrog._ The two ships opened fire on Amanda's followers and shot them out of the air.

"Thanks boys!" Amanda said.

Slippy looked off to the side to notice that Axios was flying in formation with him. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he probably couldn't have saved Amanda without his help.

"Thanks…" Slippy reluctantly said.

Axios lowered his head within his cockpit. No one had ever thanked him for any of his actions. He has lived the life of a criminal, yet a member of Star Fox was thanking him.

"You should be clear for now." Axios replied.

"Yea sure- hey heads up!" Slippy said.

Axios quickly looked up in his cockpit and noticed a pair of fighters coming down on top of him.

"Thanks!" replied Axios.

To Slippy's surprise, the _Nightshade_ cut off its main thrusters and the ship started to drift through the air. Another set of thrusters kept the ship at a level altitude, but the body itself simply aimed upwards while the ship was flying in another direction.

"Whoa!" Slippy thought.

"Surprise rookies!" Axios said.

Axios squeezed his triggers and launched laser fire up at the oncoming insurrectionists. He shot them both down with ease and brought his fighter to face the same direction he was flying. The main thrusters activated again and she ship was no longer in a slide.

"How did you do that?" Slippy asked.

"I'll explain later." Axios replied.

After a few more minutes of flying, and the team assisting each other in air combat; all the insurrectionist fighters were shot down and the base defenses were destroyed.

"Well that takes care of that." Fox said. "Form up on me."

All the fighters formed up on Fox, but Axios and the _Nightshade _did not initially join the group.

"Hey, where is this Seven guy?" Falco asked. "I thought you'd say he'd be here."

Axios did not respond. He was still piloting the _Nightshade_ away from the group.

"Axios," Fox said, "I said form up."

Axios felt something strange.

"Something isn't right." Axios responded.

Krystal caught it instantly.

"Slippy! Look out!" Krystal called out.

Slippy was completely caught off guard from the incoming laser fire that rained down upon his ship. The laser fire shot off one of the wings on the _Bullfrog_ and sent Slippy down in a spiraling free fall.

"Oh crap!" Slippy yelled.

"Slippy!" Fox said.

"Slippy no!" Amanda cried.

Amanda put the _Tadpole_ into a nose dive straight after the _Bullfrog_. She tried to pull as close to the ship as she could.

"I'm coming Slippy!" Amanda called out.

"Slippy! Bail out!" Falco called out.

Slippy tried to punch in a few more controls but was having difficulty within the spiraling cockpit. He knew he couldn't save the ship and so he unstrapped his harness and looked at a red button on the side of his cockpit.

"Sorry _Bullfrog_!" Slippy said as he punched the eject button.

Slippy was launched out of his cockpit and was now in free fall. Amanda opened her cockpit and brought the _Tadpole_ underneath Slippy and Slippy landed head first into the back of the cockpit.

"Ouch…" Slippy groaned. "Why can't I land in a ship feet first for once?"

Amanda let out a laugh and closed the cockpit windshield. She pulled up and rejoined the group while the _Bullfrog_ crashed into the ground and exploded on impact.

"Amanda?" Fox asked.

"I have Slippy, he's ok!" Amanda responded.

"So who's the wise guy that just tried to shoot down my buddy?" Falco angrily asked.

"It's him." Axios called out. "It's the _Havok_."

The team looked into the sky and noticed a black ship quickly approaching them. It flew right through the middle of their formation and caused them to scatter. After a brief moment, a strange voice could be heard over the radio of each ship.

"Two," the pilot said, "you should not have come my friend…"


	5. The Confrontation

_Hello again! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Keep an eye on these for any new updates to the story. Enjoy the chapter!_

5. The Confrontation

~The sky was quiet as Seven was circling the formation of the Star Fox team. At the moment, there was no fire amongst the two groups, but as tension started to build, Axios grew more and more anxious. He knew the destructive capabilities of the _Havok_ and was very weary of the heavy fighter. It was almost double the size of the _Arwing II_, and it carried a lot more fire power. The fighter itself was black, and resembled a design similar to Krystal's _Cloud Runner_ but bore an extra set of wings on the tail end of the craft.

"Two," Seven said, "why are you helping them?"

Axios took a moment to think of a proper response. He would have to choose his words carefully as all ears were on his radio.

"I have my reasons." Axios said. "And a large one for me is vengeance."

"Vengeance?" Seven asked. "What have we done to deserve your vengeance? You have flown by our side for a long time without restraint. Where is this change of heart coming from?"

Axios was silent, but he knew he had to confess the truth.

"You and the rest of the Black Suns raided the colony on Katina six months ago. During that raid, the Black Suns took something from me; something important that I'll never have again." Axios said.

Krystal's suspicions were confirmed by that last statement. She was now certain about why Axios was helping them.

"I see." Seven said. "Well, perhaps then you'll be willing to join her!"

Seven U-turned from his current trajectory and engaged the Star Fox team. The first target he chose to pursue was Axios.

"Axios," Fox said, "is this our man?"

"Surely looks like it." Falco said.

Axios started to barrel his ship down towards the _Havok_ to engage in a dog fight.

"This is our man." Axios said. "But he won't come quietly."

Fox nodded his head and called out to the rest of the team.

"All right guys," he said, "lets' bring him down!"

"Let's do it!" Slippy called out.

"I'm right behind you!" Falco said.

The four ships turned towards the _Havok_ ready to engage, but despite being outnumbered, Seven was more determined to shoot down Axios than the Star Fox team.

"Five against one?" Seven asked. "Very well, I'll finish you all!"

Seven pressed a button on his console. The _Havok_ had a rear panel open underneath the ship and out came four small fighter class drones that locked onto the Star Fox team. As soon as they were clear from the _Havok_, they sped off to engage.

"Team!" Axios said. "He deployed his combat drones!"

Everyone caught the drones on their scanners and realized that now the battle was five on five. Seven had turned the tables to his favor as the drones were smaller and more agile than the fighters of the Star Fox team.

"Break off!" Fox said. "Engage!"

All ships scattered and the four drones followed the four remaining Star Fox ships while Seven was following Axios.

"So much for our advantage." Slippy said.

"Just keep an eye on that drone!" Amanda replied.

Slippy was sitting in the back on the _Tadpole_ trying to find the first drone. He turned and looked over the rear of the ship and noticed that the drone was right behind them.

"It's right on us!" Slippy said.

"I'm on it, I'm on it." Amanda replied.

Amanda banked left and right and tried to U-turn away from her mechanical pursuer. The small drone was more agile than she had anticipated as she could not shake free from its lock on. After a brief moment, the drone started to open fire upon the _Tadpole_

"Come on Amanda! It's going to fry us!" Slippy said.

"I'm trying! Not as easy shaking off a machine!" Amanda said.

"Wait a sec, I got an idea!"

Slippy reached for his blaster and checked the magazine.

"Amanda," he said, "try a summersault! And open the cockpit!"

"What?" she said. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe a little." Slippy joked.

Amanda pulled up on the controls and brought the _Tadpole_ straight up into a loop. As the fighter was upside down, she opened he cockpit and Slippy jumped out. As he was falling he aimed his blaster at the drone and fired away. He struck the drone on the wing and on the main body causing it to explode. Amanda brought the _Tadpole_ back to the bottom of the loop and timed it well enough to catch Slippy back into the cockpit.

"Woo hoo!" he yelled. "Now that's how it's done!"

Amanda turned and cheered as well.

"Don't ever ask me to do that again." she said.

A short distance away, Falco was trying to deal with his pursuer. The drone was firing its lasers at the _Skyclaw_ but Falco was successfully dodging each round.

"I am not getting shot down by some lousy hunk of junk!" he thought.

Falco had too much pride and confidence in himself to let him become shot down by a machine. He looked over his shoulder and gauged that the drone was in close proximity to the _Skyclaw_. He continued his evasive maneuvers until the drone was virtually dead center behind the _Skyclaw_.

Falco grinned and planted his feet on the brake pedals. The _Skyclaw_ came to a sudden stop and dropped altitude just enough for the drone to instantly fly by. Falco caught a good look at the drone as it closely came across his windshield.

"My turn." he said.

He locked onto the drone and released a charged shot. The laser impacted the drone's engines and sent it spiraling downward to a destructive end.

"Gotcha!" he said.

Fox and Krystal were having some trouble with their pursers. The _Cloud Runner _was already damaged and Fox was not going to leave Krystal's side. The two foxes were flying close to each other trying to shake their pursuing drones.

"Fox!" Krystal said. "I can't shake them!"

Fox looked over his shoulder and noticed that the drones both started to open fire.

"Krystal, look out!" Fox said.

Both the _Arwing II_ and the _Cloud Runner_ started to perform evasive actions to dodge the incoming fire. To Fox's frustration however, the two ships were forced to split.

"Krystal!" he called out.

"I'll be fine!" she replied. "Just hurry and take it down!"

Krystal was putting the _Cloud Runner_ to its physical limits. She was barrel rolling, banking, and had no success losing her pursuer. To her relief however, she noticed the _Tadpole_ forming up behind the drone.

"We've got your back Krystal!" Slippy called out.

"Just hold still…" Amanda said to the drone.

Amanda charged a shot and locked on to the drone. She fired away and impacted the drone's engines. However, the drone let out one last plasma round before it was destroyed. The laser round struck Krystal's engine and set it on fire.

"Oh no!" Krystal cried.

Krystal tried to pull up to gain some altitude and see if she could at least keep the ship in flight.

"Krystal! That engine is going to blow up the whole ship. You got to bail out!" Slippy said.

Krystal continued to attempt on board repairs but she had no success. Sparks busted out of her console and she raised her arms to shield herself. The _Cloud Runner _continued to smoke out the back and the flames were approaching the main fuel line.

"Amanda!" Slippy said.

"I know, I know!" she replied.

Amanda brought the _Tadpole _as close as she could to the _Cloud Runner._ Slippy opened the cockpit and called out to Krystal.

"Krystal! You got to jump!" he said.

Krystal opened her cockpit and climbed out onto the wing of her craft. She took a leap towards the _Tadpole_ as the _Cloud Runner_'s engine detonated. Slippy reached out and caught Krystal's hand and he pulled her into the cockpit of the _Tadpole_ away from the crashing _Cloud Runner_.

"I got you!" Slippy said.

Slippy pulled Krystal into the cockpit of the _Tadpole_ and closed the window.

"That was close!" Amanda said.

"No kidding." responded Krystal.

Krystal was gently pressed against the back of the cockpit.

"Well this is a little tight." Krystal said.

"Sorry, but it's all we can do right now." Slippy said.

Fox looked to the side and noticed that the _Cloud Runner _was on fire. His heart stopped as he saw the ship's second engine detonate causing the entire fighter to blow up.

"KRYSTAL!" he cried.

"Fox!" responded Krystal. "I'm ok! I'm in the tadpole with Slippy and Amanda."

Fox wasn't about to take any more chances. He was not going to lose Krystal.

"Amanda, head back to the _Great Fox_." he said.

"What?" Amanda asked.

"Go back to the _Great Fox_. Falco and I can handle it from here."

"No way!" Slippy exclaimed. "We're not leaving you without completing our mission. We're not going to abandon you!"

"Slippy listen, I-"

"Fox," Krystal said, "its ok. We'll be fine. We still have to complete the mission."

"Krystal…" Fox said.

"Trust me, ok?"

Fox lowered his head as he entered a quick state of thought. He quickly shook the thought out of his head as his ship started to abruptly shake. He had just taken a laser round to the hull from the drone that was pursuing him.

"Move it Fox he's right behind you!" Falco called out.

Fox stomped on his foot pedals and launched the _Arwing II_ away from the final pursuing drone. He banked left and right to attempt to get around behind it, but the drone continued to remain behind the _Arwing II_ and Fox was running out of options.

"Better try something else." he thought.

Fox pulled back on his controls and again stomped the boost pedals. He put the ship into a summersault and was successful to get behind the drone.

"You're mine!" he said.

Before he could lock on however, the drone banked sharply off to the side and actually circled behind the _Arwing II. _

"What?" Fox thought.

Fox tried several move tricks of aerial acrobatics to evade his pursuer but the drone stuck closely behind him.

"Enough of this." Fox thought.

Fox rotated his ship into a slow barrel roll. The drone was mimicking his movements very closely.

"Try this." Fox said.

Fox quickly put the _Arwing II_ into a stop and barrel rolled in the opposite direction. The drone rolled the other direction and sped in front of Fox. Fox did not waste any time as he charged his lasers and locked on. He released his triggers and fired his lasers at the drone and the resulting impact destroyed the drone midflight.

"That's it for the drones." Fox said. "Wait, where's Axios?"

Throughout the duration that the Star Fox team was dealing with the drones, Axios was engaged in a dog fight with Seven. The _Nightshade_ and the _Havok _were exchanging laser fire vigorously trying to shoot each other down.

"Two," Seven said, "just remain still and die!"

"You'll go before I do Seven!" Axios responded.

Falco could see the chaos of the dogfight. Both the _Nightshade_ and the _Havok_ were taking damage from the other and it looked grim.

"Fox," Falco said, "he might need a hand."

Fox looked over at the dog fight off in the distance. He didn't know whether to risk the team to take down this mysterious ace pilot, or to simply let Axios fend for himself. Either way, he wasn't going to allow one of his wingmen go into battle alone.

"Team," Fox said, "let's back him up!"

The _Arwing II, Skyclaw, _and the _Tadpole_ sped towards Axios's aid.

"Axios!" Fox said. "We're coming!"

Seven looked out his windshield and noticed the three incoming ships.

"You shot down my drones?" he asked. "Impossible!"

"You didn't think we'd get fried by those pieces of scrap did ya?" Falco said.

"Besides, you owe me a new ship!" Slippy exclaimed.

"I'll second that one." Krystal remarked.

"Just allow us to return the favor." Amanda said.

Axios was pulling a U-turn to reengage Seven when he looked to the side to see the rest of the team.

"I didn't ask for your help." Axios said to the team.

"It doesn't matter." Fox said. "If you fly with Star Fox, you're not going out on your own."

Axios was touched. He had never had comrades actually be willing to risk their lives for his own. He lowered his head and smiled, and was filled with the confidence he needed to defeat Seven.

"Then let's take him down." Axios said.

"No!" Seven exclaimed. "I refuse to fall to a bunch of miscreants!"

Seven pulled up and started to fly up the large ice cliff. The Star Fox ships and Axios closely followed and started to open fire upon his ship.

"Seven!" Axios said as he locked on to his ship. "How fast can you go with no engines?"

Axios launched a charged laser round and it impacted the _Havok_'s engine. Soon the laser round impacted the Havok and the fighter started to shake uncontrollably as Seven continued to climb. Before he could reach the top of the cliff his engine completely blew out and the _Havok _was losing power.

"NO!" Seven cried.

The _Havok_ just managed to clear the cliff edge before the ship made a crash landing onto the frozen tundra of Fichina. The Star Fox team and Axios circled the wreckage and noticed a figure crawling out of the cockpit. They took a closer look and noticed that Seven was a wolf. He took off a helmet and the team could see his face. He was a black furred wolf with a scar across his face. He was in a black flight suit and had wounds across his chest and legs. Seven grabbed a blaster from his ship and started to limp away from the crash.

"Hey!" Falco called out. "Is that joker really trying to run in this kind of cold?"

"He won't get far." Krystal said. "He'll freeze without the proper equipment."

"I won't let him get anywhere." Axios said.

Axios brought the _Nightshade_ down for a landing. He hovered above the ground right in front of Seven cutting off his escape. Seven fired his blaster at the ship but had no success as the ship's hull was well reinforced to stop a blaster round. Seven eventually ran out of ammo in his blaster and threw it at the _Nightshade_. He placed his hand over his leg wound and started to limp away again.

Axios landed in the snow and reached behind his chair. He had a thermal vest strapped to the back of his seat in case he would have to go outside. The thermal vest would keep him warm in the intense cold. Axios hopped out of his ship and followed a faint blood trail in the snow. He pulled out his blaster and aimed at Seven as he was trying to run. He aimed for the leg and took a shot and the round pierced Seven in the leg and he fell in the snow. Now fearing for his life he started to crawl away from Axios.

Krystal did not like the scene, and she could sense Axios's intentions.

"Fox!" Krystal called out. "You need to stop Axios!"

"What?" Fox responded.

"He's going to kill Seven. We need him alive for the information about the Black Suns!"

"I'm on it!"

"Amanda, land the ship!"

Amanda nodded her head and started a landing run.

Fox quickly put the _Arwing II_ down on the snow next to the _Nightshade_. Fox's flight suit was already equipped for the cold and he hopped out of his cockpit to chase after Axios. Amanda also landed the _Tadpole_ next to the two fighters and Krystal hopped out to chase after Fox.

Axios quickly approached Seven and simply walked in front of him. Seven stopped crawling and looked up at Axios and noticed that Axios was looking down at seven with an evil look in his eyes. He gripped his blaster tight in one hand and made a fist in the other. Seven rolled over onto his back and looked up into the Fichina sky.

"Well," he said, "this is how it ends."

"No." Axios said. "This is the beginning. You're just the first. Eventually, I'm going to find the rest and do to them what I'm about to do to you. And when I find One, my vengeance will be complete."

Axios aimed the blaster at the wolf's head.

"Make it quick then." Seven said.

Before Axios could pull the trigger, a fire ball knocked his blaster out of his hand. Axios turned to see the blaster land behind him. When he turned back, he saw Krystal in a fighter stance pointing her staff at him. He noticed that one end of the staff had a bit of smoke emanating from it. He also saw Fox standing next to her.

"What is the meaning of this?" Axios exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Axios." Fox said. "But we need him alive."

"Alive? Do you know what he has done?"

Krystal stood from her fighter's stance and planted her staff with the spear end in the ground.

"I do." she said.

"No you don't." Axios responded. "You have no idea!"

"I know you lost some one important to you, and I know you blame the Black Suns for her death."

Axios was silent and his eyes widened.

"How could you possibly know that…" he said in a soft tone.

"I'm from a planet known as Cerinia. My people were very gifted, and I have the power to read minds." Krystal said.

She lowered her head and sheathed her staff as a small tear was brewing in her eye.

"I know how you feel." Krystal said. "My planet was destroyed and I was as distraught as you. I went on my own investigation to discover the truth behind its destruction but I found nothing. I know what it's like to lose something very important."

Axios's anger was partially turned to sympathy. However, his desire for revenge demanded that he ended Seven's life.

"Axios," Fox said, "did she care for you as much as you cared for her?"

Axios lowered his head and clenched his fist. After a brief moment of restraint, he relaxed his hand and stepped away from Seven.

"She loved me," he said, "and I loved her..."

"What would she do if she were in your shoes right now? Do you think this is really justice?" Fox asked.

Axios looked down at Seven. He clenched his fist again and delivered a large kick to Seven's head. The resulting blow knocked Seven unconscious.

"You're right…" he said.

Axios walked towards his blaster and he placed it back into his holster. He walked towards Fox and Krystal and stopped before he passed them. He lowered his head and looked at the two of them with a depressed, lonely face.

"Her name was Luna." he said to the two of them.

He continued to walk towards the _Nightshade_ and climbed into the cockpit. The ship ignited its engines and took off into the sky. Afterwards, Fox looked at Krystal and smiled.

"Guess you really know how to calm a guy." he said.

"People like him let their emotions change who they really are." Krystal said. "He's a good person; I can see it inside him. But his anger and need for revenge has changed him."

"Fox," Falco said over the comm, "I'll grab our prisoner. Let's get out of here."

"Copy that Falco."

Fox placed an arm around Krystal and the two walked towards the _Arwing II_. Amanda had already lifted the _Tadpole_ into the sky so Krystal would ride back with Fox.

"ROB," Fox said, "the mission is complete. We're heading home."

"Affirmative." Rob said.

The _Skyclaw_ touched down and Falco dragged the unconscious Seven on board. The Star Fox team lifted off and took to the skies. Their work on Fichina was done, and it was time to move on.


	6. A Truth Revealed

_Hello again! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Don't be afraid to write a few reviews either! Keep an eye on these for any new updates to the story. Enjoy the chapter!_

6. A Truth Revealed

~Aboard the _Great Fox_, the team was recovering from their mission on Fichina. In their eyes, the mission was a near failure. Slippy and Krystal were nearly killed, and both the _Bullfrog_ and the _Cloud Runner_ were shot down. However, the team was satisfied that they completed their objective despite their losses. At the moment, Slippy was in the hangar with ROB as the two were rebuilding the _Bullfrog_ and the _Cloud Runner_.

"Estimated completed time for construction on the _Bullfrog_ and the _Cloud Runner_ is twenty six hours." ROB said.

"Guess that'll have to do." Slippy responded. "Let's reinforce the hulls with a layer of depleted uranium. That should give some extra armor so that we can avoid getting shot down again."

"Affirmative."

Slippy was on top of a partially complete _Bullfrog_ working on the inner chassis of the aircraft. He turned his head over to the entrance when he heard a door open.

"Slippy," ROB said, "the prisoner has entered the hangar bay."

Slippy hopped down back onto the ground to approach Axios.

"His name is Axios ROB." Slippy said.

Axios walked up to the _Bullfrog_ and took a look at the construction.

"I'm sorry for what Seven did to your ship." Axios said.

"Sorry? Ha! Please…" Slippy remarked. "For me, it doesn't really matter. I'll just build it again, and even better than before!"

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine. Besides, we caught that jerk and he'll spend the rest of his days in jail."

"Yes, yes he will." Axios said as he lowered his head.

"I uh… I heard about what happened on the surface." Slippy said. "I didn't realize that these guys hurt you that way."

Axios knew what Slippy was referring to.

"Thanks." He said.

Slippy looked over his shoulder and looked at the _Bullfrog_.

"So, you designed her yourself?" asked Axios.

"Sure did." Slippy said. "The lock on however is a bit is fuzzy, and it's not as fast as the other ships. The shields and hull are where my engineering shines. Unfortunately, that Seven guy managed to put a pretty big hole in my hull. I guess I need to reinforce the armor a bit"

"Don't stress yourself too much. Our ships are equipped with Turan Heavy Lasers. They'll just about cut through anything; it's how we were able to…"

Axios choked on his words and let out a sigh.

"It's how we were able to cut through the Cornerian fleet." Axios said.

"Huh, is that right… You actually feel bad about that?" Slippy asked?

"More than you know."

Slippy crossed his arms and looked off to the side.

"I'm not going to forgive you for that…" he said. "But I will thank you for helping us out down there."

That thanks put a smile back on Axios's face. Slippy gave him a half smile in return and the two parted ways. Unaware that they were being watched, Krystal and Amanda were watching the two boys conversing through an observation window at the top of the hangar.

"So," Amanda said, "he's helping us because he lost his love life to these guys?"

"That's right." Krystal responded. "Her name was Luna. She was a silver fox much like him."

"She must have been beautiful."

"She was."

Amanda and Krystal walked away from the window and walked through the halls of the _Great Fox._

"So what happens now?" Amanda asked.

"We need to find the other six pilots. We're thinking Seven will help us out on that." Krystal said.

"Do you really think Seven will just talk if he's interrogated?"

"Fox doesn't think he'll talk. And Falco just wants to lay a beating on him. Odds are they'll want me to read his mind for the information we need. But Falco will have to weaken him a bit in order for me to go deeper into his thoughts."

"Sounds like his type of questioning."

The two laughed a bit at the joke and walked to the holding rooms. They found Falco leaning up against the wall outside with his arms crossed.

"Hey girls," Falco said, "come to say hi to your favorite ace pilot?"

The two chuckled a bit.

"We're looking for Fox." Krystal said.

"He's inside giving our new guest a bit of a welcome aboard treatment."

"Oh dear…" Amanda said.

Falco went to the side of the door and entered a combination on the key pad lock. The door opened and the team saw Fox off to the side sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee. Seven was sitting in the adjacent room and he was tied to a chair. They were able to see him through a one way mirror glass from within the entry way.

"Has he said a word yet?" Krystal asked.

"Nothing." Fox responded.

"He's still wounded." Amanda said.

"ROB did what he could, but shrapnel from the crash went too deep into his wounds."

Fox took a sip from his coffee and set the mug down on the counter.

"There was too much internal bleeding, and he's not going to make it." he said.

Falco, Krystal, and Amanda were a bit shaken by the news.

"How long does he have?" Krystal.

"An hour… Maybe less…" Fox said.

"Then we don't have much time." Axios said.

The team turned and looked as Axios was standing in the door way.

"You know it's because of you that this guy is not going to make it right?" Falco said.

"I know." Axios said.

"Go easy on him Falco." Krystal said. "Remember why he's helping us."

"So you told the rest of the team?" Axios asked.

"It was heard over the radio." Amanda said. "I think even ROB knows of your reasons."

"Figures…"

"Well hey," Falco said, "as long as your still willing to help us out, it's fine by me."

"Thanks, and I am."

Fox stood from his chair and walked over to the door between them and Seven.

"Krystal, sit down and relax. I need to you read his mind for the information we need. Falco, come with me. Axios, you and Amanda just stay put."

Fox and Falco entered the room and Krystal relaxed herself as she placed her fingers on her head. Seven lifted his head and looked at Fox and Falco. Fox took a seat right in front of him and Falco leaned against a wall on the side.

"You know there's nothing we can do to save you." Fox said. "The best we can do is giving you about another few hours of life."

Seven looked at Fox with an evil stare.

"Piss off." Seven said. "Just go away and let me die in peace."

"Look man," Falco said, "as much as I don't want to hurt and already dying man, we need you to work with us here."

"You want me to work with you? You're a fool. Just like Two. I don't know how you found him, but he is a fool for helping you."

Axios clenched his fist watching as Seven was insulting him. Amanda came up behind Axios and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Axios is his real name." Fox said. "And he's helping us because you and the rest of the Black Suns took away someone special to him."

"His girlfriend Luna? Please. We did him a favor." Seven remarked.

Axios was getting more and more infuriated as Seven continued to insult him.

"Don't underestimate what a man can do when he has nothing left to lose." Fox said. "He made a choice and he'll only benefit from it later. You on the other hand have no benefits to receive. You don't even have another three hours left."

"Might as well start singing bud." Falco said. "We don't have much time left. Why not make your end more worthwhile? It'll make ya feel better inside."

Seven lowered his head and sighed. Krystal took this moment to start reading his mind. What she saw surprised her.

She looked into his mind and saw an image of young black furred wolf with a family. She saw him with two older wolves, and a smaller wolf at his side. They were in a home and his family was enjoying time together outside in the back of the house.

Her vision then faded and a new vision was shown. It showed Seven was standing in a circle with seven other figures in a darkly lit room. There was a candle in each of their hands and they all had black robes with hoods covering their heads. She could also see Axios standing off to the side of him.

Just like the last, that vision dispersed. The new one was more dreadful than anything she had ever seen. Seven stood in front of his home as it was burning and he ran inside to search for his family. As he ran through the inferno, he found three figures lying motionless on the ground. He ran to them and learned that his family had been killed. He dropped to his knees and let out a cry of agony. As he did so, the rest of the house collapsed on top of him.

Krystal opened her eyes, and a tear nearly dropped down her cheek. What she saw was horrible and so she stood from her chair and went straight into the interrogation room.

"You had a family." She said.

Fox and Falco both turned to see her standing in front of the door. They were both shocked to what she had just said and Seven looked at her with a face full of guilt and depression.

"How did you…" he said.

"The Black Suns came, and they burned your home to the ground. You sat there on your knees crying at the sight of your family. Then-"

"Then the ceiling came down on top of me. That explains my scars." Seven continued. "I learned that it was the Black Suns who attacked the planet. My family was caught in the cross fire."

Seven had a tear gently fall down his cheek. He got angry at the sight of himself crying and looked off to the side.

"They told me that they all mourned my loss, and they tried to make amends. They also told me they had nothing to do with my family's death. I had no other family, and nowhere to go to. I would continue to fly with them, but I would never forgive them when I discovered the truth."

Everyone was silent but the silent was quickly broken as Seven let out a large cough. Blood came from his mouth and landed on the floor in front of Fox. The group knew Seven was running out of time.

"The others…" he coughed out. "They have scattered throughout the Lylat, but our main base…"

Seven continued to cough out more blood and fell over on his chair. Fox quickly came to his aid and unstrapped him. Now he was cradling Seven as he was lying down on the ground. Krystal kneeled on the other side of Seven and took his hand. Falco came up and kneeled next to his feet.

"Seven." Fox said.

"My name…" he said. "My name is Lester…"

"Lester," Fox said, "where is your main base?"

Lester grabbed Fox by his collar and pulled his ear close to his mouth. He struggled to give his last message.

"Venom…" Lester said with his last breath. "It Is in Venom…"

Lester slowly laid his head back and his grip loosened in Krystal's hand. Eventually both of his hands dropped to the ground and his head did the same.

Fox, Krystal, and Falco lowered their heads out of respect and Krystal reached towards Lester's face and closed his eye lids.

"Even though he was a just some punk bandit," Falco said, "guess he still had people he cared for too."

"I wonder if the rest of the Black Suns have a similar story to him." Krystal said.

"Guess there's only one way to find out." Fox responded.

The three left the room to find Amanda alone in the adjacent room.

"Hey, where's Axios?" asked Falco.

"He left." Amanda responded. "When Krystal mentioned that man's family, he left shortly after."

"Do you know where he went?" asked Fox.

Amanda shook her head. She did not have a clue.

"I think I know where he is." Krystal said.

Krystal took off from the room in search of Axios. Falco went back to the room to take care of Lester's corpse and Amanda and Fox went to the bridge.

"ROB," Fox said into his ear piece, "set a course for Venom."

"Did I just hear Venom?" Slippy said over the communicator. "Are you serious?"

"Seven told us their main base was located in Venom. So that's where we're going."

"Affirmative." ROB responded.

In another level of the _Great Fox_, Axios was standing in front of a window in the starboard observation room. He heard a door open behind him and looked to see Krystal walking into the room.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Axios looked back towards the emptiness of space.

"No." he responded.

Krystal walked up to his side. She leaned to the side and noticed that Axios had a tear running down his face. When he noticed that she was looking; he turned his face away and wiped the tear.

"Do the rest of the Black Suns have a history like that?" Krystal asked.

"I don't know." Axios responded.

"How could you continue to serve them after they hurt you like that?"

"I had nowhere else to go. At the time I didn't discover that they killed her. They offered me a home and a purpose, but they lied to me when they said they had nothing to do with her death."

"When did you find out?"

"We launched a raid on Papetoon. It was there that we discovered that the Cornerian fleet was trying to keep tabs on us. Once we found the fleet, we decided they had to be dealt with. While we launched our attack, I intercepted a transmission between the fleet and Corneria. I learned that the Black Suns were responsible for the attack on Katina. After I found that out, I wanted revenge. So I let myself get captured by the remainder of the military. In the end, I was hoping for an opportunity like this to get back at them."

Krystal was silent. She lowered her head and felt sympathy for Axios.

"I'm sorry." she said.

Axios looked at her.

"It's fine." he said.

Krystal lifted her head and noticed some scares on Axios's back. Axios noticed what she was looking at.

"Surprised?" he asked as he turned his back.

"What happened to you?" Krystal asked.

"This was the price I pay for trusting the Black Suns."

Axios faced her and came somewhat close to her.

"You can read minds and memories, right?" he asked.

"I can." she responded.

Axios took her hand and gently placed it on his head. He closed his eyes and Krystal did the same.

"Prepare." said Axios.

Krystal had another vision appear to her as clear as daylight. She saw Katina, brightly lit and peaceful. She also saw Axios and Luna walking with each other through a small colony. Axios had his arm around her shoulders and the couple was as happy as can be.

Her first vision dispersed and the second one came. Krystal saw Axios standing in the same darkly lit room with the other Black Suns in a circle. She could hear the voice of another hooded figure reciting a line out of a text he was holding. Axios was standing with his robe and a candle in his hands.

The next vision came, and she finally saw the horror. She could see Axios in his fighter landing in the middle of a burning colony. He hopped out of his ship and sprinted to a small building on the edge of the colony and was filled with fear as he could see that the building was burning. He smashed through the front door and was instantly trapped inside as the burning ceiling collapsed behind him. He ran through the building searching for Luna, and he found her. She was hiding in the basement of the building shielding her from the flames.

"Luna!" Axios said. "I'm here! Come on!"

Luna left her hiding place and took Axios's hand. The two ran back upstairs to try to find an exit but they were trapped.

"Axios!" cried Luna.

Axios looked up and noticed that the ceiling was collapsing. He grabbed Luna and held her underneath him. He used his back to shield her from the falling debris. When the burning planks cleared, his back was badly burnt, cut, and would be forever scarred.

"Axios…" Luna said.

"I'm fine…" he grunted.

The couple ran to the other end of the building and they found an exit. They both darted for the exit but Luna tripped and Axios lost her hand. He ran back to save her but the ceiling collapsed separating the two.

"Luna!" Axios cried.

He reached for the burning wood and was tearing away at the debris despite burning his hands. When he made a hole, Luna reached for his face through the planks.

"Axios…" she said. "It's ok."

Axios held her hands tightly.

"Luna, please!" he cried. "I can save you!"

Luna shook her head and tears started to come down her cheek.

"No," she said, "you can't."

"Don't say that! We still have time!" Axios said.

Axios was now clawing away that the debris in between them. He stopped again when Luna grabbed his hands.

"Axios," she said, "please. Save yourself."

She let go of his hands and stepped away from the debris.

"Luna! Don't do this!" Axios cried.

Luna looked at him and smiled as tears came down her cheeks.

"I love you Axios." she said.

"Luna!"

Luna looked up and closed her eyes as the ceiling collapsed on top of her.

"LUUUUUUUUUUUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

At that moment, Krystal pulled her hand off of his forehead. She nearly fell back wards as she caught herself on a chair. Axios dropped to his knees and had his hands on the floor to keep himself up.

Krystal quickly approached him as he was on his knees. He was sobbing on the ground as Krystal stood before him. She kneeled next to him and held him close to ease his sorrow. She gently rubbed his head as a mother would to calm her child.

"Axios," she said, "I'm… I'm so sorry."

Axios continued to sob within her arms. Krystal heard a door open and noticed Fox was standing in the door way. Krystal could see the sympathy in Fox's face for Axios as he saw him on his knees.

"I saw everything." Krystal said to Fox.

"How bad was it?" asked Fox.

Krystal lowered her head.

"It was horrible…"

Fox lowered his head in respect to Axios.

"We're heading to Venom. When you're done here, I'll need you both on the bridge." Fox said.

"I'll be there." Krystal responded.

"I'll make them pay…" Axios said to Fox.

Krystal gently released him and the two stood from the floor and Axios looked at Fox with vengeful eyes.

"When we find them, we'll make the pay." Axios repeated.

Fox came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes we will." Fox said. "Yes we will…"


	7. A Recurring Nuisance

_Hello Star Fox fans! Just thought I'd give you an update regarding chapter posts. As of right now, the story is still a work in progress and there is plenty of adventure to be shared. Also, my goal is to have about two to three chapters per week so you guys don't lose too much interest. Leave a review if you would like and as always, enjoy the chapter!_

7. A Recurring Nuisance

~Aboard the bridge of the _Great Fox_, the team was discussing its next course of action. They were a bit shaken to learn that the Black Suns were headquartered in the quarantined planet of Venom. They sat and conversed about the information Lester gave them.

"I think that guy was lying!" Slippy said. "I don't believe that the Black Suns would choose Venom as their home base."

"I don't know Slip." Falco responded. "The guy was running on empty when he gave us the location. He passed away as he was talking to Fox."

"But that place is toxic! There's no way that the planet could be habitable. There's the radiation and the toxic waters and-"

"And the fact that the planet is quarantined means that it makes the perfect hiding place." Fox said.

"It makes sense." Amanda said. "No one would dare go to Venom, not even the Cornerian military."

"That and Black Suns would have all the time they'd need to organize their military without distractions." Krystal commented.

Fox looked at Axios who was in the corner of the bridge leaning against a wall.

"Axios," he said, "what do you think?"

Axios walked over to the group to join the discussion.

"Seven may have been a convict like me," Axios said, "but he's no liar. Just like the rest of the Black Suns, we have our pride to maintain. We wouldn't lie; even if it meant that'd we suffer for speaking the truth."

The team sat back in their chairs while Axios's words sank into their thoughts.

"So you think he was telling the truth?" Amanda asked.

"As much as I would like to say so, I'm still not sure." Axios responded. "But what I do know is that if he pointed us towards Venom, then there's something there worth checking out."

The team nodded their heads to each other in agreement to Axios's words.

"All right." Fox said. "We'll continue on our course to Venom; as soon as we find what we're looking for, we'll report back to Peppy and discuss how to proceed from then."

"Fine." Falco acknowledged.

"Sounds good to me." Slippy said.

Amanda and Krystal both nodded their heads in agreement. The team rose from their seats and were about to leave the bridge, however, the ships alarms started to sound.

"Alert! Alert!" ROB said. "Fighters are entering the sector."

"What?" Fox asked.

"Are we being ambushed?" Falco asked. "We just wasted a base on Fichina! Do these insurrectionists ever quit?"

"Um…" Amanda said. "They're not insurrectionists."

ROB pushed several buttons on the bridge console and a monitor flashed on with the image of four incoming ships. The team was surprised to see what was being shown.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me…" Falco said.

The monitor revealed that Star Wolf had entered the sector. The team was irritated to see them as they were about to leave Fichina. Soon a light was flashing on the ships on board radio. Fox pushed the button and spoke into the communicator.

"Wolf," Fox said, "what are you doing here?"

"We're just here doing our job." Wolf responded.

"We made an intriguing deal recently." Leon said. "Which involves taking out Star Fox!"

"It's a shame that now I have to harm the beauty of Lylat known as Krystal." Panther said.

"We're not in the mood for this!" Falco said. "Just do us a favor and shove off before I get angry."

"What's the matter?" Oikonny said. "Afraid we're going to wipe the floor with you losers?"

Slippy pushed his way up to the communicator.

"Oikonny you mindless ape!" he said. "You're one to talk considering how badly you go down every time we meet!"

"You shut up!" Oikonny retorted. "Even Wolf notices my abilities and decided to give me my place back on Star Wolf!"

"Well that was his first mistake…" Falco commented.

Star Wolf circled the _Great Fox_ and started to take pot shots at the hull in an attempt to taunt the Star Fox team.

"Come on Fox!" Wolf exclaimed. "I don't have all day! Come out and fight me!"

"I've had it!" Falco said. "I'm about to lay a beating so hard on these jokers that they'll never screw with us again!"

Falco stormed out of the bridge towards the hangar. Amanda was about to follow until Slippy grabbed her arm.

"Amanda," he said. "Be careful. Especially watch out for-"

"Panther?" she said. "Trust me; if he tries to flirt with me I'll give him a good punishment just for you."

Amanda gave Slippy a quick kiss on the cheek and she walked out of the bridge to follow Falco. Slippy's face turned bright red as he was enchanted by Amanda's kiss. He quickly snapped out of his delusion as Fox attempted to speak to him.

"Slippy, is the _Bullfrog_ and the _Cloud Runner_ finished?" he asked.

"They are in their final stages of construction. They can fly but they aren't combat ready yet." Slippy responded.

"Then you and Krystal stay here."

Slippy nodded his head. He wasn't about risk getting shot down in space with an unfinished _Bullfrog. _ As Fox was about to leave the bridge, Krystal came up to him.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"We'll be fine." he said.

Krystal pulled Fox close and gave him a kiss before he could leave the bridge.

"Be careful." she said.

Fox gave Krystal a reassuring smile.

"I will." he said.

Fox turned to leave the bridge when he noticed Axios was still leaning against a wall.

"Aren't you coming?" Fox asked him.

"Isn't this your own fight?" Axios asked. "I know about Star Wolf's personal vendetta against you. Shouldn't you handle this on your own?"

"We're outnumbered by one ship, and Star Wolf is very skilled. We need the extra man."

Axios looked off to the side to think and then looked back and grinned at Fox.

"Oh this should be fun…" he said.

Fox and Axios both left the bridge and ran to the main hangar bay. They arrived as Falco and Amanda were entering their ships.

"Hey Axios!" Falco called out. "Ready to have a little bit fun?"

"You know it!" Axios said as he was climbing aboard the _Nightshade_.

Fox strapped himself into his fighter and closed the cockpit.

"ROB, we're ready!" he said.

"Launching in 3… 2… 1…" ROB said.

As his countdown struck one, the _Skyclaw, Tadpole, Nightshade, _and _Arwing II_ were launched out into space.

"Let's clean up this mess!" Falco said.

Wolf was surprised to see another ship within Fox's team.

"You hiring your own mercenaries now Fox?" Wolf asked.

"I don't seem to recall there being a black ship on your team." Panther said. "And where is your lovely Krystal? I would much rather see my fair maiden rather than you fools."

"Oh I see!" Leon sneered. "You know you can't win, and you hired an ace pilot to save your sorry hides."

"Too bad we'll fry him after we're done with you!" Oikonny said.

Fox, Falco, Amanda, and Axios all charged Star Wolf.

"Hey jokers!" Falco called out. "I wouldn't underestimate our new friend here. You might make him mad."

"I'm already mad!" Axios exclaimed.

Wolf was shocked to notice that Axios was another fox, and that he looked very similar to Fox.

"Who the heck are you?" Wolf asked.

"You're not worthy to know my name." Axios retorted.

"Doesn't matter to me," Panther said, "there can only be one black ship, and it will be my _Black Rose_!"

The two teams spilt from their formations to engage each other.

"Time to clip those wings!" Leon said to Falco.

"Not a chance!" Falco retorted.

Leon managed to make his way behind Falco. He opened fire and was hell bent on shooting down Falco; however, Falco was banking left and right to break off from Leon's pursuit.

"Agh! Hold still!" Leon exclaimed.

"Gotta hit me first hot shot!" Falco retorted.

Despite shaking off his attacker, Falco was running out of room to maneuver. Leon was getting closer and closer with his shots and it was only a matter of time before Falco's ship would be struck.

"Enough of this." he thought.

Falco banked to the right and cut his engines. Leon sped past him for being too close. As soon as Falco was in the clear he started his pursuit after Leon.

"Now it's my turn!" Falco said.

He locked onto the _Rainbow Delta_ and fired a charged shot. Leon narrowly dodged the blast and continued on his flight path.

"Your aim is as bad as your skills." Leon said.

"Oh we'll see…" Falco retorted.

Falco locked on to the _Rainbow Delta _again and charged another shot. Before he could fire however, the _Black_ _Rose_ opened fire upon the _Skyclaw_.

"Can you sing me a song little birdy?" Panther asked. "It'll make my time ending you more enjoyable."

Just as soon as Panther locked onto the _Skyclaw_, a laser round struck his hull.

"You're fight is with me Panther!" Axios called out. "And I'm not done with you yet."

"Blasted vermin." Panther grumbled.

Axios opened fire upon the _Black Rose_ as it was following the _Skyclaw_ and _Rainbow_ _Delta_. The resulting fire caused Panther to break off his attack on Falco and focus more on Axios. This gave Falco the time he needed to lock on the _Rainbow Delta_.

"Now," Falco said, "let's see how bad my aim is!"

Falco released his charged shot and the blast impacted the _Rainbow Delta_'s engine. Leon's engines shut down and now he was in a stall in the middle of space. A brief moment after the shutdown, Leon realized his ship was incapacitated and was no longer able to fly. He pushed a red button in his console and a small pod broke off from the _Rainbow Delta_. Leon then flew his pod away from the fight in an angry fit.

"Blasted bird…" he said. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS FALCO!"

Falco merely laughed and veered off to help Amanda. Meanwhile, Axios was still engaged in a dog fight with Panther. Panther tried again and again to shoot down the silver vulpine, but he had no success.

"You fly like a true coward!" Panther called out. "Come face me and fight like a man!"

Axios looked over his shoulder and reached for his accelerator in his cockpit.

"You're going to regret calling me a coward…" Axios said.

Axios pulled a lever in his accelerator and his ship started its drift maneuver. The _Nightshade_ cut off its main engines and the ship rotated backwards to face Panther. The secondary engines activated and caused the ship to continue to fly in the previous direction. Axios locked on to panther and started to open fire.

"What?" Panther said surprisingly.

The _Black Rose_ quickly veered off to the side to avoid taking damage.

"You were firing backwards? That's impossible!" he said.

Axios pointed his ship in the proper direction again and chased off after Panther. He opened fire and Panther was now the one dodging laser rounds. Soon, Axios had Panther locked on and he charged a shot.

"I told you." Axios said. "You're going to regret calling me a coward!"

Axios released his triggers and a charged laser shot struck the _Black Rose_ on the side of the hull. Panther shielded himself on the inside of his cockpit as sparks busted from the console in front of him. Panther lowered his arms to notice message displaying on his console.

"Critical Alert!" read the console. "Engine failure! Fuel Line Ruptured! Detonation in 3… 2… 1…"

Panther dropped his arms off to his sides.

"Not aga-"

The _Black Rose_ detonated in the middle of space and Axios looked and noticed a small capsule that was flying away from the floating wreckage.

"I swear; first it was Fox, then the toad, the lovely Krystal, that blasted bird Lombardi," Panther grumbled, "and now this new fox?"

Panther looked over his shoulder as the _Nightshade_ brushed past his pod.

"Go cower away before I decide to finish you for good you worthless cat." Axios said.

"I am a panther!" Panther yelled.

"You're a fur ball. You think if I throw a ball of yarn your way will you play with it like you were a kitten?"

"I swear, when my ship is repaired, you're end will be slow and excruciatingly painful!"

"Whatever."

Axios sped off to find Fox. As he wrapped up things with Panther, Falco was in the process of aiding Amanda. Unfortunately, Amanda was being tailed by Oikonny and she was dodging laser fire from Oikonny's _Wolfen_.

"Just stand still you little frog!" Oikonny said. "And I'll send you back to your little pond in pieces!"

"You'll have to hit me first you stupid monkey!" Amanda retorted.

Amanda continued to doge fire from the _Wolfen_ with relative ease. Oikonny was not on Amanda's skill level and he continued to struggle to achieve a lock on.

"No one ever calls me a dumb mon-"

Oikonny was silenced as his ship started to abruptly shake. He looked to the side and noticed that one of the _Wolfen_'s wings was missing. He also saw the _Skyclaw_ quickly fly past his windshield. Time slowed down for a moment as Falco and Oikonny made eye contact. Falco grinned and waved at Oikonny as he flew by. Time returned back to normal and the _Skyclaw_ darted away from the damaged _Wolfen_.

"I'll leave the rest up to you Amanda!" Falco said.

"Thanks for the assist!" Amanda replied.

With the _Wolfen_ now damaged and unable to continue to fight, Oikonny attempted to flee from the battle.

"No no no no!" Oikonny said. "Not this time! Not again!"

Amanda brought the _Tadpole_ behind the fleeing _Wolfen_.

"Next time," Amanda said as she was charging her laser, "don't pick a fight with a toad."

Amanda released the laser round and the round impacted the _Wolfen_ on its engine. Amanda watched as the _Wolfen _was destroyed midflight and she noticed a small capsule fly away from the explosion.

"Sorry uncle," Oikonny mumbled, "they got me."

Amanda, Falco, and Axios all veered off over to Fox's direction. Throughout their individual skirmishes, Fox and Wolf were exchanging fire attempting to shoot each other down. While the two were even in skill, Fox was gaining the upper hand.

"Wolf!" Fox said. "Why are you out here? What do you want?"

Fox was able to get behind Wolf's _Wolfen_ and he started to open fire. He was unable to get a lock on as Wolf was performing many aerial maneuvers avoiding Fox's laser fire.

"Isn't it obvious?" Wolf responded. "We take you down, we get paid. That the point of being a mercenary."

Wolf pulled a summersault to get behind Fox.

"Now just sit there and die!" Wolf exclaimed.

Fox started to perform his own aerial acrobatics to avoid laser fire. He banked left and right and barrel rolled left and right to while trying to question Wolf.

"Who sent you?" Fox asked.

"None of your business!" Wolf responded.

The _Wolfen_ continued to pursue the _Arwing II_. Fox was doing all he could but Wolf was more persistent than ever. As Fox banked to the left, Wolf was able to lock on to the _Arwing II._

"Now you're mine!" Wolf said.

Before Wolf could fire his laser however, the _Wolfen_ was struck from above.

"Hands off my pal!" Falco said.

The _Skyclaw, Tadpole, _and _Nightshade_ all opened fire upon the _Wolfen_ causing Wolf to veer away from his strike on Fox.

"Give it up Wolf!" Amanda said. "Your team is down, and it's four on one."

Wolf looked to the side and noticed three small pods coming to join him.

"Sorry boss…" Oikonny said.

"It would seem that we have suffered a rather humiliating defeat." Panther said.

"Argh… I was careless…" Leon grumbled.

After a brief moment, Wolf brought the _Wolfen_ to a stop in space. The three pods joined the _Wolfen_ in a diamond formation. While Star Wolf was simply hovering still in space, the Star Fox team circled them in their fighters.

"You, all of you worthless, insolent, lou-" Wolf said.

"No point in blaming your team." Fox said. "That's not being a good leader."

"Don't you dare start lecturing me, pup." Wolf said. "You all got lucky…"

"There's no such thing as luck in my view." Axios said as he was circling Wolf with the _Nightshade_. "Regardless, I believe Fox was asking you a question. I would highly advise that you answer it."

"Who are you to give me advice?" Wolf asked. "You're not even a member of Star Fox. What's your business with them?"

Axios brought in the _Nightshade_ on a close strafe run. He rolled the ship upside down and sped right over Wolf's windshield. The resulting path caused the still _Wolfen_ to abruptly shake in an effort to taunt him.

"Hey Einstein!" Falco said. "I'd be more concerned about our new friend's short temper if I were you."

Wolf did not like being taunted, or even ordered. However, there was nowhere to run to and he was both outnumbered and outmatched.

"Just tell them already!" Oikonny said.

"Silence! You brainless monkey." Panther replied.

Fox was getting irritated.

"I'll ask again," he said, "who sent you? Who's paying you?"

Wolf lowered his head in shame. He let out a sigh and looked at the _Arwing II_.

"We were hired by a bloodhound named Five." Wolf said.

Axios heart stopped and the rest of the team was silent.

"Where can we find him?" Axios asked.

"Last place where we saw him was within the Sector Y combat zone." Wolf said. "Be weary, this guy had some kind of ship modification that made him nearly unstoppable. He and seven others took down an entire Cornerian fleet. I'd doubt you can even best him."

"Trust us, we know about how they roll." Falco said. "In fact, our friend here knows Five, and he's got more tricks up his sleeve than you think."

Wolf was silent. No wonder Axios was able to strike down Panther with ease (not an easy task mind you).

"You know Five?" asked Wolf.

Axios turned the _Nightshade_ away from the group of fighters and returned to the _Great Fox_.

"I flew with him." Axios said. "Now I'm going to finish him."

Fox looked off to the side to see Axios fly away. He turned back to Wolf and the three pods.

"If you leave now," Fox said, "I'll forget we had this little skirmish."

"What?" Falco asked. "You're going to let these jokers walk away that easy?"

"Fox," Amanda, "You know there's a price on their heads right? Peppy is looking to have them all arrested!"

"I know that Amanda." Fox said. "But now we have bigger issues to worry about. We'll deal with Star Wolf later."

Despite his obligation to take Star Wolf in, Fox had a sense of respect for Wolf and his team. He and Wolf had been rival pilots since the Lylat Wars, and the two had a history of confrontations that pushed both of their skills to the limits. Fox looked at Wolf and Wolf grinned at Fox.

"Next time I see you," Wolf said, "you'll regret giving me a second chance."

Wolf and the three pods turned their ships away and flew off into space and the Star Fox team regrouped at the _Great Fox_. The team docked their ships into the hangar and was greeted by ROB, Slippy, and Krystal.

"Ha ha!" Slippy said. "I knew you could handle those jerks."

Falco, Amanda, and Axios dismounted their fighters and greeted Slippy, ROB, and Krystal. Fox was the last to dock his ship. As he dismounted, Krystal walked over to him and the two quickly embraced.

"I'm so happy you're ok." Krystal said.

"Told you I would be." Fox said as he was smiling at her.

"What happened to Wolf and his team?"

"I let them go."

"Fox-"

Fox silenced Krystal before she could speak.

"I'll talk about it later." he said.

Fox and Krystal rejoined the rest of the team.

"ROB, set a course to Sector Y." Fox said.

"The _Great Fox_ is already on a course to Venom." ROB said. "Do you still wish to change course?"

Fox looked at the rest of the team and they all nodded at him.

"Yes." Fox said.

"Affirmative." ROB responded. "Setting a course to Sector Y."

Fox turned back to the rest of the team.

"Get some rest." he said. "We're going after Five, and if he's anything like Seven; he's not going to come quietly. Wolf also gave us a tip that Five has some kind of modification on his ship. So be careful."

The rest of the team nodded their heads and they all exited the hangar. They all went up to the crew deck and they each returned their quarters.

The day was won, but now the team prepped themselves for the next stage of their mission. The time has come to track down Five.


	8. Deception

_Greeting my fellow Star Fox fans! I give to you a new chapter and a new conflict. Please leave a review and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

8. Deception

~The team waited within the bridge for the _Great Fox_ to come out of its hyperspace jump. Everyone was well rested and ready for combat. With the _Cloud Runner_ and _Bullfrog_ now combat ready, Krystal and Slippy would be able to join the team in capturing Five.

"Approaching destination." ROB said. "Exiting jump in 3… 2… 1…"

The _Great Fox_ came out of hyperspace and was now in the Sector Y combat zone. However, the ship came out of hyperspace in the middle of a large debris field. Fox's eyes widened as he saw a large piece of wreckage quickly approach the _Great Fox_.

"ROB, PULL UP!" Fox yelled.

ROB reached for the ship controls and pulled the _Great Fox_ into a climb. The team was shaken from the sudden change in trajectory. As soon as they regained their balance, they ran to their chairs and strapped themselves in.

"Performing evasive maneuvers." ROB said.

The team looked through the window to get a better look at what they were avoiding. They saw the horror. They were flying through a debris field of a destroyed Cornerian fleet. They saw multiple Cornerian frigates in very poor condition, and a few of the frigates still had explosions coming from within.

"What the heck happened here?" Falco asked.

"Oh my god…" Amanda said as she covered her mouth.

"This is horrible!" Slippy said. "Who did this?"

"No…" Krystal said. "How did this…"

ROB managed to maneuver the _Great Fox_ out of the initial debris field. The team was now gazing upon what looked like a floating grave yard. They saw two Cornerian capital ships in ruins, and one of them was breaking into two.

"A whole fleet?" Fox asked. "Why is the entire fleet-"

"It's Five." Axios interrupted. "He has been through here."

"Are you telling me that one guy did all of this?" Falco asked.

"Even for a Black Sun pilot," Amanda said, "that is really pushing it."

Axios took a moment to think. He knew that Five would have needed help, but to take down an entire fleet would have required a lot of help.

Suddenly, the thought came to Axios.

"There more than one!" Axios said.

The team unstrapped themselves and stood from their chairs. They all turned towards Axios.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"I mean that Five wasn't the only one involved in this." Axios said. "He wasn't alone."

The team was silent. They knew what that meant.

"So," Slippy said, "are you saying that the other Black Suns were here too?"

Axios nodded his head.

"But how many?" Amanda asked.

"I'm not sure." Axios responded.

"Well we aren't going to find out here." Fox said. "Everyone to your ships."

The team left the bridge and took off towards the hangar bay. One by one they mounted their ships and gave an all clear to ROB. After ROB's countdown, the ships were launched into space. While the scene looked grim from within the bridge of the _Great Fox_, the scene looked even worse when the team was flying through all of the wreckage.

The team was silent as they looked left and right at the ruined Cornerian frigates.

"I swear…" Falco said. "The Black Suns have a lot to answer for this!"

"You said it." Slippy said.

"I still don't understand." Krystal said. "Why didn't they call for help?"

Axios lowered his head. He had completely forgotten to tell the team about the Black Suns' ship modifications.

"Because their communications had been jammed." Axios said.

"Are you serious?" Amanda asked. "But the Cornerian fleets have the latest in anti-jamming technology. Any jamming attempt would be met with failure."

"Not unless you're Five." Axios said. "Five's ship modification is a very strong regional jamming device. That's why the fleet had no help."

"Wait," Slippy said, "are you saying that Five has a jammer that can shut down ALL of a fleet's communications?"

Fox was irritated at the fact that Axios neglected to mention this information.

"Axios," Fox said, "you should have mentioned this to us sooner."

Axios lowered his head in shame.

"Axios," Krystal said, "what are the modifications of each Black Sun member?"

"For starters," Axios said, "my ship's modification is my slide thrusters. I can fly in one direction while aiming my lasers in another."

"So that's why no one is ever on your tail." Falco said. "You just turn your ship and fire backwards."

"Exactly."

"What about the others?" Amanda asked.

"Eight is the pilot of the _Shadow_. His ship has a built in hologram aboard his fighter. It allows him to change his ship design to match others. His hologram would turn his ship into a Cornerian fighter for example."

"Allowing him to go into any fleet in disguise…" Krystal said.

"Seven and his _Havok _had his combat drones to assist him in battle, which you were able to shoot down."

"I hate those things…" Slippy said.

"Six pilots the _Swarm_. It has another hologram projector. However, this one makes copies of his craft. The opposing fighter would not know which one to shoot, and Six could claim his prey with ease."

"It would also deceive the enemy making them think that there were more ships than there actually were." Fox said.

"Five flies the _Executioner_. His ship possesses a universal jammer. It blocks communications and also jams controls to engines. He could render an entire fleet immobile and unable to flee. Fortunately, he can't jam the engine controls for small fighters like ours. Our engine's heat signatures are too small for the jammer to disrupt."

"So no matter what the fleet could do," Amanda said, "they couldn't run."

"Four is the pilot of the _Night Hawk._ His ship possesses VK-MK IV thrusters. No one can get a lock on because he's moving faster than anything you've ever seen."

"What?" Slippy asked. "I've heard of those! Dad said that there were three prototypes of those engines in existence; except one of them got stolen."

"Guess now we know who stole it…" Falco said sarcastically.

"Three is the one we should be worried about. His _Black Mist_ has an on board cloaking device. He disappears with the push of a button and can strike from anywhere."

"What a coward…" Falco commented.

"What about One?" Fox asked.

"One pilots the _Archangel_. His ship can-"

Axios was silenced as the _Nightshade_ was struck with laser fire from above.

"You know Two…" said a low monotone voice. "You talk too much."

The team looked above to notices three fighters quickly approaching them.

"Break off!" Fox said.

The team scattered and broke their formation as the three black fighters flew in between them.

"Who the heck are these jokers?" Falco said.

"I think we should teach them a lesson…" said another voice.

"Who are you guys?" Amanda asked.

"Ask your latest acquisition…" said the third voice.

"Axios?" Krystal asked.

"It's Eight, Six, and Five." Axios said.

The team looked as the _Shadow, Swarm_, and _Executioner_ were flying amongst the fleet wreckage.

"Did you three destroy this fleet?" Slippy asked.

"This fleet?" said Eight. "HA! You have no idea how easy it was!"

"They even went as far as to beg for mercy." said Six. "It was pitiful."

"It's too bad I didn't have as many kills as Eight." Five said. "With their engines down they had nowhere to run. It was like shooting fish in a barrel!"

The Star Fox team regrouped in their formation while the Black Sun fighters did the same. The Black Suns turned towards the Star Fox team and now the two groups were charging each other head on.

"You're going to pay a very severe price for this." Falco said.

"This can't go unpunished." Amanda said.

"How could you do all of this?" Krystal asked. "What are you ultimately planning?"

The two groups soon closed in on each other. The Black Suns rolled their ships upside down and the three ships flew over the Star Fox team. Fox, Falco, and Krystal made eye contact with Eight, Six, and Five as they flew over their heads. They discovered that Eight was a pig, Six was a jackal, and Five was a bloodhound.

"Tell you what." Eight said. "You take us down, and we'll talk. Only then you'll prove your worth to speak with the Black Suns."

"Sounds good to me!" Falco said.

Falco broke formation and turned towards the trio of Black Sun fighters. The rest of the team followed Falco and the Star Fox team engaged the Black Suns.

"Let's take them down!" Fox said.

"Right!" the team said in synchronization.

"Two." Six said. "Just because you were one of us I'll make your end quick."

"The rest of you…" Eight said.

"Are going to die a very slow death…" Five finished.

The Black Suns broke their formation to engage the Star Fox team. The two groups closed upon each other and started to open fire. The two teams eventually flew right by each other and they all veered off in different directions. Falco and Axios engaged Eight, Fox and Krystal engaged Five, and Slippy and Amanda engaged Six.

"You're not getting off easy now!" Falco said.

"Perhaps you'd like to shoot me down?" Eight responded. "Would you be willing to shoot down your own friends?"

Eight pressed a button on his console and the _Shadow_ started to change shape. To Falco's surprise, the ship assumed the form of the _Cat's Paw II_; a ship that belonged to Falco's friend Katt Monroe. Falco now felt that he was trying to shoot down Katt and he let his fingers of the trigger.

"Come on!" Eight said. "What's the matter?"

Falco was dumb struck.

"Katt?" he thought.

He quickly shook the thought out of his head as he saw laser fire come from behind him towards the fake _Cat's Paw II_.

"Falco!" Axios said. "Snap out of it! It's a hologram! That ship is not your friend!"

Falco returned to his senses and gripped his triggers again.

"First you destroy a fleet," Falco said, "and now you want me to think I'm shooting down my friend? Worse, you try to impersonate Katt? I'm going to finish you!"

The _Skyclaw_ and _Nightshade_ both opened fire upon the _Shadow_. Eight was dodging the laser rounds trying to find a plan to shake his pursuers.

"My my…" he thought. "It would seem I'm going to need a better rouse."

While Eight was being focused down by Falco and Axios, Six was preoccupied with Slippy and Amanda.

"You're not getting away that easy!" Slippy said.

"This guy is good…" Amanda mumbled to herself.

"Argh, blasted toads…" Six said to himself. "Going to have to use it."

Six put the _Swarm_ into a barrel roll and a blue light was being emitted from the wings. Amanda an Slippy watched as the _Swarm_ made a blue ring with its barrel roll. After a brief moment of rotation, two more ships emerged from the ring and now they were gazing upon three copies of the _Swarm_.

"What the heck?" Slippy said.

"Which one is the real one?" Amanda asked.

"HA!" Six boasted. "Good question? Do you know? Better find out soon before I end you both!"

All three ships veered off into different directions and Slippy was confused about which one to follow.

"Amanda, take the one going left." Slippy said. "I'll take the one going right."

Amanda nodded her head and the two toads split to engage. Unfortunately, the real _Swarm_ continued straight.

"Ha ha!" Six thought. "Idiots…"

Amanda and Slippy both quickly locked on to their targets. They both opened fire only to watch as their laser fire went through their targets. They watched as their targets disappeared in front of their eyes.

"What?" Slippy said.

"Oh no…" Amanda said.

Six came up behind Amanda and locked on to her ship.

"Surprise!" he said.

Six released a charged laser and the round struck Amanda's rear engine. The _Tadpole_'s shields did well to absorb most of the damage, but the engine fuel line was damaged.

"Slippy!" Amanda cried.

"I'm coming! Hold on!" Slippy said.

Six locked on to the _Tadpole_ again.

"This time," he said, "you die!"

Before he could release his triggers, the _Swarm_ was impacted with a series of laser rounds coming from the side. Six looked to the side to see the _Bullfrog_ opening fire.

"Get you ungrateful hands away from her!" Slippy said.

Slippy continued to fire upon the _Swarm_ forcing Six to deviate from his attack.

"Great…" he thought. "They're not pushovers…"

Six looked to the side and noticed the Eight was flying into the floating debris field. He came up with a plan in his head and he turned to join Eight.

Five was having issues dealing with Fox and Krystal. He couldn't shake them both and he was struggling to avoid laser fire.

"You guys don't quit!" Five said.

"Give up!" Fox said.

"You're not going to get away." Krystal said.

Five noticed that Six and Eight were flying in the debris field.

"Screw this…" he thought.

He turned to quickly join them. The Black Sun fighters lured the Star Fox team into the debris field. They were now maneuvering through destroyed frigates and torn capital ships.

"Where are you going?" Falco asked. "Can't face us out in the open?"

"Watch out!" Slippy said.

Falco pulled the _Skyclaw_ up and over a floating piece of wreckage.

"Whoa, thanks Slip." Falco said.

"They lured us in here." Amanda said. "They want us to risk damaging ourselves while fighting them."

"Just mind the wreckage." Krystal said. "Don't be careless."

"Don't lose sight of them." Fox said. "They still have their ship modifications. Be wary for any system malfunctions."

The Star Fox team continued into the debris field chasing after the Black Suns. After a brief moment of flying, the three Black Suns regrouped.

"We need to combine modifications." Five said.

"Agreed." Eight said.

"Just give the word." Six said.

Five nodded his head. He pushed a button in his console and jammed the Star Fox team's communications. Six made another pair of copies for the _Swarm_, and Eight used his hologram to turn his ship into the _Cloud Runner_. The three ships split from their formation and scattered throughout the debris field.

The Star Fox team was unaware of the impending danger.

"Team," Fox said, "do you see them?"

Fox did not receive any response.

"Team?"

He looked to his side and noticed that Krystal was waving her hands in her cockpit. She made a "phone" hand gesture next to her ear and waved her fingers next to her neck. Fox caught on to her signal. He realized that their communications were being jammed.

"Oh no." Fox said.

Falco pulled the _Skyclaw_ next to the _Arwing II_. He made several gestures to Fox and raised his hands in question. Fox made the same gesture Krystal made to him.

Falco instantly pulled away from the _Arwing II_ however due to incoming laser fire. The Black Suns came down upon the team causing the Star Fox team to scatter. Fox pulled his fighter away from incoming debris and rejoined the _Cloud Runner_. To his surprise however, the _Cloud Runner_ started to open fire upon him.

"What on earth?" Fox said.

Fox pulled the _Arwing II_ away from the incoming laser fire.

"Krystal!" he said. "It's me!"

The _Cloud Runner _continued to fire upon the _Arwing II_. Fox banked left and right in the debris field avoiding both laser fire and debris. Falco noticed the _Cloud Runner_ firing upon the _Arwing II_.

"Krystal would never fire upon Fox…" he thought.

Fox looked over his shoulder and noticed that the laser fire had stopped. He saw the _Skyclaw_ open fire upon the _Cloud Runner_ and his heart stopped.

"FALCO!" he screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Fox noticed a blue electric field surround the _Cloud Runner_ and the ship turned into Eight's _Shadow_. He was relieved that Falco was not targeting Krystal, but the sight of the _Cloud Runner_ being fired upon nearly drove him into shock.

The reality quickly sank in. The Star Fox team would now have to shoot down the enemy at the risk of shooting down each other.


	9. Reunion

_Greeting my fellow Star Fox fans! I give to you a new chapter and a new conflict. Please leave a review and as always; enjoy the chapter! _

9. Reunion

~There was chaos and disarray in the debris field. The Star Fox team did not dare fire a laser round at another ship. They could not tell whether or not they would be shooting at the Black Suns or their fellow teammates.

There was only one member of the Star Fox team that could tell friend from foe. With her magical gift, Krystal could determine who her allies were by reading their thoughts. She was easily navigating the _Cloud Runner_ through the debris field while reading the minds of the pilots around her.

She tried to communicate with the team again.

"Fox? Amanda? Falco?" she asked.

There was no response.

"Shoot…"

She looked around her and noticed the _Arwing II_ flying above her. She placed one hand on her forehead to check who was piloting it. She had to make sure it was Fox and not an imposter. She would be mortified if she had accidentally shot down the wrong _Arwing II_.

After a brief moment, she could hear the thoughts of the pilot.

"This is too easy…" Eight thought. "I'm going to have some fun with this one."

Krystal turned towards the _Arwing II_ and opened fire.

"You're not Fox." She thought.

Eight grew frustrated as he had been discovered again. He maneuvered the _Shadow_ away from the _Cloud Runner_'s laser fire and was now being pursued.

"Blasted vixen…" Eight grumbled.

To her relief, Krystal saw another set of laser fire targeting Eight. She looked to the side and noticed Amanda had pulled the _Tadpole_ next to her and joined her in targeting Eight.

"Thanks Amanda." Krystal thought.

"I know that's not one of our ships…" Amanda thought. "And that's got to be Krystal firing at it."

The two girls continued to fire upon Eight. He tried to shake his attackers with no success. Krystal and Amanda were not about to lose sight of Eight.

"I'm not going to let you get away!" Amanda said.

"Fine, I see how it is…" Eight said. "Five, are their comms still jammed?"

"Yes." Five responded.

"I need assistance, they found me out."

"How did they manage that?"

"I'm not sure. The blue vixen somehow made a lucky guess."

"All right I'm coming."

Five was prowling about through the wreckage avoiding the fight. He did not want to involve himself in the skirmish but he needed to come to Eight's aid. The _Executioner_ maneuvered through the floating debris and made its way behind the _Cloud Runner_ and the _Tadpole_. He targeted Krystal first and started to open fire.

Krystal was forced to break off her pursuit of Eight to deal with Five. Amanda was still on Eight's tail and she wouldn't let up.

"No." she thought. "I can't let him get away!"

Five was now targeting Amanda. He locked on and charged a laser round.

"Now you die…" he thought.

Before he could fire, laser fire rained from above and forced Five to deviate. Fox was able to find Five and he locked on to his craft.

"You're the one we need to finish." Fox thought. "We take you down; our communications will be back online."

"Blast…" Five thought.

"Eight!" he said. "I need to retreat! We cannot allow them to regain their communications. Finish them!"

Five started to maneuver away from Eight leaving him to deal with Amanda. Fox continued after Five and was joined shortly by Krystal.

"So be it." Eight thought.

He slammed his brake pedal and caught Amanda off guard. The _Tadpole_ sped in front of him and he locked on to Amanda.

"Die…" he said.

He released a charged round.

Amanda received a warning on her console that she was about to be struck. She quickly banked around a piece of debris to avoid being struck. The laser round destroyed the floating piece of debris rather than Amanda's ship. She flew away from the debris but noticed that Eight smashed his _Shadow_ straight through it.

"Clever girl…" he thought.

Amanda was now under duress. She was trying to flee from Eight with an already damaged ship and Eight was more skilled than her.

"Somebody? Anybody? Please!" she cried. "I need help!"

She had no response in her radio, and she was on her own. She maneuvered the _Tadpole_ into an open area within the debris field. Eight locked on again and charged another round.

"This time…" he said. "You'll die for sure!"

He released his round and the laser flew towards the _Tadpole_. Amanda saw the warning again on her console and her heart stopped. She banked hard to the right attempting to avoid the laser round but she couldn't break the lock on. She shut her eyes and braced for impact. After a brief moment, her ship was violently shaking yet she was unharmed. She opened her eyes and noticed that someone was firing laser rounds at Eight.

"Ouch…" Slippy said.

Amanda looked as a blue electric field was surrounding the _Bullfrog_

"Slippy!" Amanda said.

"Hands…" Slippy said. "Off of my girlfriend…"

Slippy had moved the Bullfrog in between the laser round and the Tadpole to shield Amanda from the blast. The impact from the charged round had destroyed the _Bullfrog_'s shields. The fighter itself was still intact.

"Such a noble sacrifice." Eight said. "In that case; I'll give you a warrior's death."

Amanda turned the _Tadpole_ and joined Slippy the two had started to open fire upon Eight. Eight was again being pursued. Slippy and Amanda pushed their ships to the limit to shoot down Eight and they weren't about to let him get away.

"Amanda," Slippy thought, "I hope you're ok."

"Slippy…" Amanda thought.

The two toads continued to open fire upon Eight. As if a miracle finally happened, the _Shadow_ was struck on its rear engines.

"Argh!" Eight said. "Are you kidding me?"

Amanda and Slippy both looked at each other and made eye contact. They nodded their heads and they both charged a laser round. They both locked on to Eight as he was trying to bank off to the side.

Eight saw the lock on warning in his console.

"Five! Six!" Eight said. "I've been locked on!"

He had no response.

Amanda and Slippy released their charged shots and the two lasers combined midflight.

"Five? Six?" Eight asked.

"You're sacrifice will be honored when we cast the shroud over Corneria." Five said.

"Five! Don't leave me he to d-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the laser round struck the _Shadow_ and now Eight was in an spiraling death trap. He did what he could to save his ship but he watched as his ship was closing in on a large floating piece of debris.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Five cried.

Slippy and Amanda both watched as the _Shadow_ crashed into a piece of floating wreckage and was destroyed upon impact. They both flew by the wreckage and found no escape pod. Amanda looked at Slippy with a mildly depressed face. Slippy lowered his head and took off his hat. While Eight was the enemy and deserved to be punished, he at least deserved a bit of respect for his skills.

"Rest in peace…" Slippy said. "See if they forgive you in the next life…"

Amanda and Slippy turned back towards the main debris field where the rest of the Star Fox team was dealing with Five and Six.

The team's communications were still down and Slippy and Amanda had no way of telling them that Eight had been killed. This meant that the rest of the team was unaware that there were no more imposters.

Falco and Axios were both focusing on Six. Six's clones had been a common nuisance as Falco and Axios frequently targeted the wrong ship.

"I'm really starting to get tired of this garbage…" Falco thought.

Falco opened fire upon the _Swarm_ and noticed that the ship disappeared on him again.

"Crud!" he said.

Axios came up behind the _Swarm_ and locked on. He charged a laser round and fired away. He watched as the _Swarm_ disappeared on him.

"Oh for the love of…" Axios grumbled.

Six pulled the real _Swarm_ behind Falco.

"Hold still…" he said.

Six started to open fire and several laser rounds stuck the _Skyclaw_.

"Oh crap!" Falco said.

He banked his ship to the side to avoid taking any more damage. He pushed a button on his console and a meter came up on his screen. His shields were down and his hull integrity was at forty three percent.

"Still alive?" Six asked. "Time to change that."

Falco noticed a warning on his console as Six locked on to him.

"Oh man…" Falco said.

He banked hard to the sides trying to avoid the lock on. Six closely follow and charged his laser round.

"And now you d-"

Six was interrupted as the _Swarm_ was taking damage from above. Axios had locked on and opened fire upon Six.

"I never did like your clones." Axios said.

Six was forced to break off from his attack on Falco.

"Thanks…" he said to Axios.

Six was being chase by Axios and he was dodging his laser fire.

"Come on Two…" Six said. "Is that the best you can do?"

The two Black Suns were weaving through debris as Axios was still targeting Six. Falco followed the two fighters and formed up on Axios's wing. The two made eye contact and both opened fire upon Six.

Six was rolling left and right avoiding laser but was eventually struck on the wing.

"Argh come on!" Six yelled. "Work with me here!"

Six was pushing his _Swarm_ to the limits. He couldn't shake his attackers and a warning flashed on his console.

Falco and Axios both locked to Six.

"Well…" Six said. "I suppose I had enough fun for this life…"

The two fighters released their charged rounds. Six was being tailed by the lasers and had no success in shaking them. The _Swarm_ was impacted on both sides of the hull and the ship's alarms started to sound. Sparks were busting out of the consoles around Six, and he watched as he was about to crash into a piece of rubble.

"CURSE YOU STAR FOOOOOOXXXX!"

Falco and Axios watched as the _Swarm_ crashed into the rubble and no escape pod to be seen. The two looked at each other and Falco gave thumbs up to Axios.

"Nice job there." Falco said.

To instantly break the joy from the small victory, laser fire came from below and struck the _Nightshade_.

"Shoot!" Axios said.

Falco watched as fire broke from the side of the _Nightshade_ and the ship was sent into an uncontrolled spiral.

"No!" Falco said.

Five quickly came from beneath Falco. Falco noticed that Fox, Krystal, Slippy, and Amanda w ere all hot on his tail and were all opening fire upon him.

They all noticed that Axios had been hit and that the _Nightshade_ was on fire.

"You are going to pay for that!" Fox said.

"Axios!" Slippy said.

"Oh… my…" Krystal said as she was covering her mouth.

"No!" Amanda said.

Axios did what he could to regain control of his ship. He was able to pull out of the spiral and remain steady, but the _Nightshade_'s port engine and wing were both destroyed.

"Argh…" Axios mumbled. "Great…"

Five continued to pilot his ship away from the team while dodging laser fire. He led the team out of the debris field and back into open space. Five knew there was no way for him to win with five ships against him alone. He had lost his two wingmen, Eight and Six, and was being forced to surrender. He pushed a button in his console and deactivated his jammer.

"I suppose we have been defeated…" Five said.

The team heard his voice over their communicators. Five brought the _Executioner_ to a floating stand still in the middle of space. The rest of the Star Fox team circled him in their damaged ships.

"Team!" Fox said. "Are you guys ok?"

"I'm fine for now." Slippy said.

"My ships bleeding fuel." Amanda said.

"I'm all right." Krystal said.

"I'd say I'm doing ok." Falco said.

"And what about Two?" Five asked. "Last time I saw him he was in a flaming spiral to his death!"

The team was silent.

"I'm… Still here you piece of trash…" Axios said.

The team watched as Axios brought his torn _Nightshade_ to rejoin them.

"Axios!" Fox said.

"I'm fine…" Axios replied. "I'm going to need some repairs in a bit; for my ship and myself."

Fox pushed a button on his console to view Axios inside his cockpit. His console had sparks bursting spontaneously, and Axios had his hand over a wound on his side.

"Well," Five said. "You are more persistent than ever."

"Time for you to call it quits pal…" Falco said. "Come quietly or I will personally shoot you down."

Five lowered his head and grinned. He looked up to the team and pushed a series of buttons on his console.

"Come quietly?" Five asked. "I don't think the Black suns are willing to come quietly."

After a brief moment, several large blue rings opened up behind Five. To the team's shock, a fleet of black ships emerged from behind Five. They saw an insurrectionist capital ship joined by over a dozen war-class frigates. They also saw a large mother ship roughly three times the size of the _Great _Fox that was surrounded by the rest of the fleet.

"Oh… my…" Slippy said.

"It's the _Void_!" Axios cried. "It's the Black Sun's mother ship!"

"That's a lot of insurrectionists too!" Falco said.

"Team!" Fox said. "Retreat!"

All six ships darted back through the debris field back to the _Great Fox_.

Watching from the mother ship was a fox in a black robe. There was a hood over his head and he had his arms wrapped in his sleeves in front of him.

"So this is Star Fox…" he said in a low monotone.

"They are retreating master." said a hound standing next to him.

"What of Five, Six, and Eight?

"Six and Eight were defeated, and Five is making his way towards the _Void_."

"Send a personal message to Two. Let him know what happens when he decides to turn on us."

The Star Fox team navigated their way through the debris field back to the _Great Fox_.

"ROB!" Fox said. "We're going to Corneria! RIGHT NOW!"

"Affirmative." ROB said.

The team was flying straight for the hangar with maximum velocity.

"Is he locked on?" said the hooded fox.

"Yes master." replied the hound.

"Then fire."

The _Void_ charged one of its laser canons that locked on to Axios. The canon released a massive beam and it going straight for Axios.

The main hangar bay doors opened and the team quickly landed their ships. They were still in their ships and all noticed that Axios was still flying. The _Nightshade_ was on fire and Axios was about to make a crash landing.

"Axios!" Fox said.

"I can make it!" Axios replied. "I'll be fine!"

Before he could pass through the hangar doors, a bright green beam sliced the _Nightshade _in half and caused the fighter to explode. They team was paralyzed with shock as they saw Axios disappear behind flames. To break their tensions however, they saw a small black pod make a crash landing into the hangar bay.

"He's in!" Falco said.

"ROB!" Fox said. "GET US OUT OF HERE!"

The _Great Fox_ turned away from the debris field and entered its hyperspace jump.

"_Great Fox_ has entered hyperspace." ROB said.

The hangar was pressurized and the team exited their fighters. They all darted straight towards Axios's flaming escape pod.

"Is he ok?" Slippy asked.

"Axios! Don't you die on me!" Falco said.

"Oh my god…." Amanda thought. "Please let there be a miracle."

Krystal placed her hands on her head as she was running towards the capsule. She was trying to see if Axios was at least giving some indication he was still alive. However, she couldn't sense anything.

The team grabbed a set of fire extinguishers and doused the flames surrounding Axios's pod. Fox was about to open the pod when he heard a bang come from the inside.

"Whoa!" Fox said.

With several more bangs from the inside, they saw the window of the pod fly right off the body. They also saw a pair of feet sticking up from the cockpit. Then they saw a set of hands grab the edge of the cockpit.

After a brief moment of wait, Axios pulled himself out and was standing in front of the team. However, the team was mortified at his condition.

"W-what… Are… You looking at…" Axios said.

Axios had blood coming from a wound on his side, and he had multiple cuts throughout his body. He was hunched over to the side and his legs were shaking. He dropped to his knees and then fell forward.

"Axios!" Slippy said.

The team quickly came to his aid.

"ROB," Fox said, "prep the med bay. Axios is hurt!"

"Affirmative."

"Come on buddy." Falco said. "You're a tough guy, you can pull through."

Fox and Falco both grabbed Axios's arms and lifted him over his shoulders. Slippy and Amanda both grabbed a leg and the four of them rushed him to the med bay.

"F-Fox…" Axios said.

"Don't speak." Fox said. "Think instead."

"I can read your thoughts and speak for you. Don't talk." Krystal said.

Axios closed his eyes and his breathing started to slow down.

"Fox! He's fading!" Krystal said.

"Let's hurry up." Falco said.

The team finally reached the med bay. They found ROB there standing next to a surgical bed. The team set Axios down on top of the bed and immediately started to apply first aid. They tore his jacket open and placed sensors on his chest. His heart rate was slowing down and his overall vitals were dropping.

"Med kit!" Slippy said.

Fox handed Slippy a med kit and grabbed a bag of fluids. Slippy inserted an I.V. into Axios's arm and started to work on Axios. They took clean rags out of the med kit and applied them to Axios's open wounds.

"Keep pressure on those wounds!" Krystal said.

"I got it! I got it!" Amanda said

Falco placed a mask over Axios.

"You're going to be fine. You hear me?" Falco said. "You're going to be fine!"

The team looked at the heart rate monitor and noticed that Axios was slipping.

"He's going into cardiac arrest!" Slippy said.

Fox turned to the wall and grabbed a pair of defibrillators. He noticed that the monitor was a flat line and the team was attempting CPR. He looked away and charged up the machine.

"Fox?" Krystal said.

Fox didn't respond. He placed both of the pads on Axios's chest.

"Clear!" he said.

He pressed the buttons and released a shock into Axios's body. The monitor continued to show a flat line and Axios was motionless.

Fox tried again and again with the defibrillators with no success. He continued to try again and again and the team slowly stepped away. Krystal placed her hands on her head. She was trying to see into Axios's lasts thoughts. What she saw surprised her.

Axios was standing in a large, white void. It appeared to him that he was floating.

"Hello?" he called out.

No response.

"Hellooooooo?!" he called out again.

"Axios…" said a feminine voice.

Axios turned and face the figure of a silver vixen. His heart was filled with joy at the sight. He saw Luna standing in front of him and she was smiling at him.

"Luna…" Axios said as a tear came down his eye.

Luna approached him and continued to smile.

"Not yet Axios…" she said.

Axios reached out towards Luna.

"What?" he asked.

Fox tried the defibrillators one last time. Out of a miracle, the monitor read a very faint heartbeat.

The team was filled with joy. They saw the heart rate remain steady at a very slow pace. Krystal came up to Fox and held him close.

"Fox…" she said. "He's alive."

Fox and Krystal both smiled at Axios. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the rest of the team standing around him. He tried to raise his hand but Fox held it down.

"Rest, all right?" Fox said. "You did great..."

The team stood by his side until he drifted into sleep. While they had eliminated Six and Eight, Five got away, and the team narrowly escaped from another encounter with the Black Suns. To them, the mission was a partial failure.

However, it didn't matter. Every one returned, and they were all alive.


	10. The Eternal Companions

_Hello Again Star Fox fans! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

10. The Eternal Companions

~Irritated that his prey had escaped, the hooded fox turned and walked away from his observation window inside the _Void_.

"It would seem sir," said the hound, "that the Star Fox team had returned to Corneria. No doubt to warn the military of our close proximity to their sector."

"They can warn the military all they want." said the vulpine. "They will not stop us."

The hooded fox and his hound companion walked through the bridge of their mother ship. The crew consisted of insurrectionists dedicated to the downfall of the Cornerian military. There were multiple crew men operating terminals throughout the bridge, and none of them spoke to the hooded fox directly.

"Where're the rest of my men." asked the hooded fox.

"They are waiting for you in your conference room." responded the hound.

"Good. Leave me."

The hound bowed its head and walked away from the hooded fox. The vulpine exited the ship's bridge and continued down a large hall way. He turned around the corner and approached a large set of double doors. The doors opened automatically and he entered a large conference room. He saw three other figures on the other side of the table watching him enter. Among them was Five.

"Took your sweet time?" asked one of the figures.

"When are we going to Corneria?" asked another figure.

The hooded vulpine locked the door behind him and removed his hood. He was a brown colored fox that was easily taller than Fox. He had a scar over his left eye and had a black stripe of fur run down the other.

"Soon…" he said. "Very soon."

"One…" Five said. "They killed Six and Eight. Why don't we finish them right now?"

One approached Five and gave him a look of disappointment.

"It is simply because we are not ready." One responded. "And given the fact that a team of miscreants were able to take on you, Six and Eight tells me that YOU are not ready!"

One turned away in an angry fit.

"We'll have our revenge for this…" said one of the figures.

"Yes we will Three…" One said. "Yes we will…"

"What about Two?" asked the last figure.

"The next time you see him, Four," One said, "I want you to end his life with your own hands."

"Think you can handle that?" Three asked.

Four looked to the side at Three.

"Of course I can." he responded.

One walked in between Three and Four.

"The time is coming." he said. "Soon, we will cast our shroud over Corneria, and take the Lylat system into a new era. We will father the birth of a new Lylat, one without the Cornerian oppression. When we have achieved our goal, we will live like kings."

"Is the _Shroud_ itself ready?" asked Five.

A mechanical limb emerged from One's sleeve. Another mechanical limb emerged from the other. One pushed a series of button on one of his robotic limbs to bring up a hologram of a ship in construction. The ship was massive in scope, and was roughly double the size of the _Great Fox_.

"The _Shroud_ is nearly complete." One responded. "When the Cornerian capital is in ashes; then, we can move forward."

Within the Cornerian space zone, several fleets were making a routine patrol. Commander Toran himself was with the fleets. Ever since the briefing with Peppy he has kept his fleets close to Corneria.

Toran was looking out the window of the bridge in his flag ship the _Solace_. He was admiring the view he had on Corneria. His view was interrupted however with the calling of one of his crew men.

"Commander Toran." said the crewman.

"Yes?" Toran responded.

"Sensors are reading a hyperspace disturbance on the edge of the sector 4 defense zone."

Toran turned and walked over to the console of the crewman. He looked into the monitors and saw for himself that a ship was coming out of hyperspace.

"Ready defenses." Toran said. "If the ship does not respond as soon as they come out of the jump, be ready to open fire."

"Yes sir."

After a brief period of waiting, a small blue ring was opening in the middle of Cornerian space. All attention was focused on the incoming ship. After a large blue flash, a ship appeared from the jump zone. To their surprise, the _Great Fox_ came through.

"All ships," Toran said, "hold your fire."

Soon a transmission came from the _Great Fox_.

"This is Fox McCloud of Star Fox to Cornerian Space Defense;" Fox said. "Requesting permission to pass through the defense grid."

Toran was less than pleased to see Star Fox. He had heard about the deal that was made between Star Fox and Axios and was enraged.

"Star Fox this is Commander Toran." Toran said. "I'll allow you to pass if you surrender your latest wingmen."

The Star Fox team was waiting in the bridge as they were speaking to Toran.

"Toran," Fox said, "Our comrade has been severely wounded and requires urgent medical attention. We need to get him planet side for the proper treatment."

"Then I will deliver him myself." Toran said in a sneering tone.

"I know what you're trying to do Toran. Peppy himself made the deal with our friend. He made a decision that is further up the chain of command from where you are."

Fox leaned forward on the bridge communication terminal.

"We're going planet side. If you want to stop us, then you're welcome to try to shoot us down."

Toran clenched his fist. He hated being undermined, especially by Fox. He watched as the _Great Fox_ continued past the Cornerian defense.

Fox turned away from the console back towards the team.

"That guy seems to have some kind of bug about you. " Falco said.

"Yes he does…" Fox said.

"Are you in trouble?" Slippy said.

"I'm fine. Let's just say that he's not a fan on how we operate outside of the traditional Cornerian military."

"I think he's jealous." Krystal joked.

The team laughed and soon returned to their seats. The _Great Fox_ was coming into the Cornerian air way for a landing. ROB relayed a message requesting a medical team on site.

The _Great Fox _touched down and the team went to the med bay to check on Axios. They walked through the door to find Axios asleep in the bed. His heart rate was steady and his vitals were improving.

"Looks like he really pulled through." Amanda said.

"Told you he would." Falco said. "Knowing him, I'd doubt he'd want to die in a hospital bed."

"Let's just get him to the doctors at the hospital. They'll take better care of him." Krystal said.

"And while we're on that, we'll have to rebuild." Slippy said. "Again…"

"At least we're alive, Slippy." Amanda said.

"Yea yea…"

The team rolled Axios out of the med bay and towards the elevator. Krystal noticed that Axios's eyes were moving behind his eye lids.

"He's dreaming." Krystal said.

Everyone looked at her and then at Axios.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about…" Amanda asked.

"Probably kicking the rest of the Black Sun's tail." Falco said. "Surely what I'd be dreaming about."

"Ha!" Slippy said. "Typical of you Falco."

Fox looked at Axios and then Krystal. He smiled ad Krystal and came up with an idea.

"Why don't you find out?" Fox said.

Krystal was a little surprised.

"Isn't that being rude?" Krystal.

"As long as he doesn't see you."

Fox winked at Krystal giving her the confidence she needed to actually do it. The elevator reached the bottom and the team was exiting the _Great Fox_. A medical team rushed towards Axios to take him away. They quickly checked his vitals and his physical condition.

"Vitals are stable." said one of the medics. "You guys did a good job at stabling him."

That comment brought a sense of peace into the team. The fact that they saved one of their teammates from death made them feel proud inside.

The medics started to move Axios's bed away to a hover craft.

"Can we come with?" Fox asked.

"By we meaning who?" responded the medic. "I can't fit another five people in my cruiser."

Fox looked back at the team.

"Falco," he said, "Call Peppy and show him everything we've collected on the Black suns. Show him the videos of our encounters and tell him about the base on Venom. Amanda, Slippy, I want you two to go with him."

The three of them nodded their heads and walked toward the air way terminal.

"We'll come with." Fox said to the medic.

The medic nodded his head and Fox and Krystal hopped into the back of the cruiser along with Axios. They sat by his sides while the medic was sitting close to Axios's head to monitor his vitals. The cruiser turned on its siren lights and took off for the hospital.

Krystal took this opportunity to place her hand gently on Axios's head. She closed her eyes and focused on his mind; specifically his dream. What she saw surprised her more than ever.

Axios was dreaming that he was on Katina. He was sitting on a park bench and Luna was sitting right next to him. Axios had his arm around Luna and the two had their heads next to each other. They were watching a sunset from the bench and enjoying the time to themselves.

Krystal found herself in the dream and she was in the park as well. She noticed she was also dressed in black. She had a black coat, and black pants. Even her shoes were black, but she still had her multi colored jewelry. She was hiding behind a group of trees and was watching Axios and Luna. To her shock however, Axios turned his head and noticed Krystal. However, Axios wasn't angry with her. He actually waved for her to come to join them.

Krystal cautiously approached the couple.

"I didn't think I'd see you here." Axios said to Krystal.

"I was curious." Krystal said. "You're still asleep, and we noticed your eyes were moving. Once we found out you were dreaming, I was just a little curious."

Krystal smiled at Luna.

"She's so beautiful…" she thought.

"Hello." Luna said to her.

Krystal had a small tear brewing in her eye as she smiled at Luna.

"Hello." Krystal said. "My name is Krystal."

Luna smiled at Krystal. She stood from the bench and approached Krystal to embrace her.

"Hello Krystal." Luna said. "My name is Luna."

Krystal had never expected a hug from Luna. She willingly made her way into Axios's dream expecting negative consequences from Axios at first, but now she can't hold back the joy from receiving love from someone who was already gone.

Luna stepped back and sat down on the bench again next to Axios. The couple smiled at Krystal and noticed that she had a tear coming down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" asked Luna.

"Oh I um…" Krystal said as she was wiping her tear. "I'm just a little shocked that someone so pretty as you could be-"

"Gone?" Luna asked. "I know…"

Luna lowered her head slightly.

"Axios knows me so well that his memories always bring s me back in his dreams. I'm the same Luna he fell in love with the day we met."

Krystal couldn't wipe the smile off her face or the second tear that was coming down her cheek.

"Don't be sad." Luna said. "I'm always here when Axios sleeps, and I'm always watching over him. Regardless what happens in this world, I'll always be here for him."

Krystal wiped off the second tear and looked at Axios. She couldn't believe that Axios could lose something so precious to him. Luna was beautiful, and she was a loving character. She and Axios were the perfect couple, and Krystal was so happy for them. She lowered her head in sympathy for Axios.

"I know what you're thinking." Axios said. "Don't feel bad for me. As long as she's in my heart and memories, I'll never lose her."

Krystal looked towards the two. She smiled and lowered her head again.

"It was very nice meeting you Luna." Krystal said. "But I think it's time for me to go."

Luna sprung from the bench to embrace Krystal again. She held Krystal so close that Krystal nearly lost balance.

"It was wonderful meeting you too!" Luna said. "If you're a friend of him, then you're a friend of mine too. Take care of Axios for me."

Luna gently released Krystal.

"Promise?" she asked.

Krystal felt another tear brewing within her eye.

"I promise." Krystal said.

Before Krystal could release herself from the dream, she heard another voice coming from the distance.

"Mama! Papa!" a child called out.

Krystal was shocked as she saw a young silver vulpine running towards them. The little vulpine was dressed in the same black clothing as Axios, and had his same physical features. He hopped onto the bench in between Axios and Luna and snugged himself tightly between the two.

Krystal placed a hand over her mouth and could not hold back her tears any longer. She learned something about Axios that she had not known in the past. She realized that the little vulpine in front of her was Axios's son. The son he would never hold, and the son he could never raise.

Axios and Luna smiled at their little vulpine as he stared at Krystal.

"Who's she?" asked the little one.

"Her name is Krystal." Luna said. "Would you like to say hi?"

The little pup hopped off the bench and walked up to Krystal. Krystal lowered herself to her knees to greet the young pup. She was struggling to hold back her tears of joy. The sight of him made her feel so happy, yet so sad because this was the son Axios lost to the Black Suns.

"Krystal?" said the little pup.

"Yes," Krystal said. "My name is Krystal. What's yours?"

The little pup raised his hands into the air with excitement.

"Axios!" the little pup said. "I'm named after papa, because papa told me that the name will make me strong!"

The little pup held out his hand Krystal.

"Nice to meet you!" little Axios said.

Krystal smiled as more tears of joy continued down her cheek. She took little Axios's hand and the pup actually pulled her in to embrace her.

"You look like a nice lady." little Axios said. "I like you!"

Krystal gently wrapped her arm around the little pup to embrace him. She never thought that she'd meet Axios's family in his dream, but now she was glad to see them.

"Look! Look!" little Axios said.

Krystal gently released him and turned around. She was facing a beautiful sunset. She felt so warm, and so peaceful. She noticed a hand take her right shoulder and saw that Luna had her arm around Krystal's shoulder. She looked to her left and Saw Axios standing there holding his son. The four of them watched as the sun disappeared under the horizon.

Krystal closed her eyes and was hearing Axios's voice in her head.

"I fight for the wife I can no longer embrace, and for the son I can no longer raise. But within this life or the next, I live my days as a test. I approach fear by being joyful, because they are my guardian angels. I fight as their eternal champion, because they are my eternal companions."

Krystal's eyes opened and she was back in the cruiser sitting across from Fox. Fox noticed she woke up and noticed a tear coming down her cheek. Fox was concerned at the first sight of seeing her tears.

"Krystal?" he asked.

"His son's name is Axios…" Krystal said as a tear was rolling down her cheek. "He and Luna had an unborn son named Axios. Oh Fox I wish you could see them; Luna and little Axios. They were so beautiful…"

Krystal smiled and lowered her head as she wiped off her tears.

"He had a family that was taken, and they were there. It was as if though they were never gone…"

Fox came around Axios's bed to sit next to Krystal. The two embraced each other as Krystal and felt sympathy towards Axios.

"A son…" Fox thought. "He had a son… A son he could never raise."

Fox and Krystal gained a significant amount of respect for Axios. He was no convict, but a man who lost everything that ever mattered to him.

"He lost his family to the Black Suns…" Fox said. "In that case, the next blow we strike against them will be for his family."

Axios's eyes slowly started to open. He saw Fox and Krystal sitting next to each other in the same fashion he and Luna were while sitting in the park bench. Axios gently pulled off his mask.

"So…" he faintly said. "Know you know everything..."

Fox took his hand and Axios gripped it as hard as he could.

"Don't let them get away with taking my family…" Axios said. "Don't let them get away with taking my son…"

Fox looked down upon Axios.

"When we find them," Fox said. "They're going to pay."

The cruiser continued out into the Cornerian capital. The sun was coming down over Corneria as they made their way to the hospital.

With Axios's past revealed, Fox was more determined than ever to hunt down the rest of the Black Suns. The mission had become personal, and Fox would not let them get away with their crimes.

The time had come to strike a blow against the Black Suns.


	11. The Next Push

_Hello Again Star Fox fans! I just want to say thank you for your reviews. I value every one of your inputs, and it really helps me shape the story to your liking. Please keep the reviews coming, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

~11. The Next Push

~The team spent the entire following day recuperating on Corneria. Slippy and Amanda spent their time together with ROB and making repairs on all their fighters. Axios was still in Corneria General Hospital. Falco was passed out on the couch in the _Great_ _Fox_ lounge with a magazine covering his face, and Fox and Krystal were with Peppy in the bridge.

Peppy was concerned however. Falco had explained to him how the team narrowly escaped with their lives from their encounters with the Black Suns, and he also told him about Axios's condition.

"I'm not sure it will be a wise idea to send you out there on your own again." Peppy said.

"If any more Cornerian military get involved, it will only bring more problems and more death." Fox replied.

"The Black Suns have been moving throughout the Lylat system. They have been jumping from planet to planet, and now I receive information that they're headquartered in Venom?"

Peppy took a moment to adjust his glasses.

"I don't like this Fox, not one bit." he said.

"What choices do we have?" Fox said. "If we don't strike at the heart of the insurrectionists and the Black Suns, then all of Lylat will be at risk."

"It will be easier for the _Great Fox_ to move on its own." Krystal said. "We've learned so much about the enemy, and we know how to properly combat them."

"It's their mother ship that concerns me." Peppy said.

Peppy walked around Fox to a terminal in the bridge. He pushed a series of buttons and a holographic projection of the _Void_ came up in front of the trio.

"The _Void_," Peppy said, "is unlike anything the Cornerian military had ever combated. The ships is heavily defended by the main insurrectionist fleet, and the ship itself has fire power that our military cannot handle."

"When was the last time you saw this ship?" Krystal asked.

"The 5th Arcturis fleet ran into it about a month ago. There were five frigates, and three capital ships in that fleet. Only one frigate made it back."

"If it weren't for those modifications," Fox said, "the fleet may have actually stood a chance."

"Oh! That's right. I almost forgot. Slippy gave me the data about the Black Suns' modifications."

"And?" Krystal asked.

Before Peppy would respond, he walked over to the bridge door and locked it. He came back and pressed a series of buttons on the bridge console and shut down a set of security cameras.

"Peppy?" Fox asked.

"Listen closely," Peppy said, "what I'm about to tell you does not leave this room. That goes for you too Krystal."

Krystal nodded her head.

"Their modifications were actually property of Cornerian Research and Development." Peppy said.

"You mean that they stole them?" Fox asked.

"That's correct. We don't know how, but the tech they received was stolen and smuggled off Corneria. Fox that technology was still in development and the projects themselves were classified; which can only mean one thing…"

"There was a high ranking Cornerian officer that was working with the Black Suns." Fox said.

Peppy nodded his head.

"So the Cornerian military has a mole?" Krystal asked. "That's just brilliant…"

"I ordered a covert investigation of all of the fleet commanders, and so far I had received nothing." Peppy said. "The only piece of evidence I was able to find was this recording."

Peppy pulled out a small communicator from his pocket and pushed a button. The trio could hear a distorted voice in the communicator. The distortion made the owner of the voice unrecognizable, and the signal was scrambled so that the original message could not be traced.

"I have done what you asked me to." said the voice. "The parts you have requested had been delivered to the location discussed."

There was a brief pause.

"I'm confident that they will work to your standards."

There was another brief pause.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'll handle it on my own. When I am done here, I will join you."

There was one more pause.

"That's not what we agreed to. I give you the fleets, and you give me the _Shroud_. Once I am ready, I will give you the signal and move my fleets to Fortuna. Now, I have a matter to attend to. This conversation is over."

Peppy pushed a button and silenced the communicator.

"Fortuna?" Fox asked.

"It's where we brought the Oikonny Rebellion to a halt." Peppy said.

"I remember that." Krystal said.

"Ever since that message was intercepted, I have been keeping close tabs on fleet traffic. There hasn't been a single fleet that has made an attempt to jump to Fortuna."

"Or they could already be there." Fox said.

"We could investigate for you." Krystal said. "And report back anything we find."

Peppy gently adjusted his glasses and slowly paced to the side. He wasn't sure if it was a wise idea to send the team out again considering their current condition. However, he could not send a fleet at the risk of it being destroyed.

He came to his decision.

"All right." Peppy said. "Your next mission will be on Fortuna. Go to the planet, and investigate for any signs of the Black Suns. Report any in all of your findings back to me, and me alone."

Fox and Krystal both nodded their heads.

"However, you're not going alone." Peppy said. "I'll be damned if you kids end up in the afterlife before me. Since your last two near death encounters with the Black Suns, it has come to me that you're going to need help. I've got just the person to come with you."

"Who's coming with?" Krystal asked.

"I'll give you a hint, Falco knows her very well."

"Katt?" Fox asked.

"Ms. Monroe has recently made a pit stop here on Corneria." Peppy said. "When I heard of her coming, I had her brought to me. She was trying to reach Falco to tell him something but she couldn't find him anywhere. I told her she could wait on Corneria for your arrival and she did."

"We could always use the extra help." Krystal said.

"Where is she?" Fox asked.

"She's staying somewhere in the capital." Peppy said. "I'll have an officer bring her here tomorrow and you two can discuss how to proceed afterwards."

"Falco's surely going to be surprised."

"At least we can count on Katt to help keep him in line." Krystal said.

"All Right." Fox said. "We'll stay the night here on Corneria and head out in the morning."

"All right." Peppy acknowledged. "One more thing, as you head out to Fortuna, I also want you to stop by Katina."

"Why is that?" Fox asked.

"We've lost communications with one of the outposts in Katina. Several pilots of the Bulldog and Husky squadrons, including your friend, Bill Grey, were sent to investigate. It's been two days and we haven't heard from them since."

Fox was a bit surprised.

"Bill?" he said. "I hope he's all right."

Krystal placed a hand on Fox's shoulder to calm him.

"I'm sure he's fine." she said.

Peppy turned and walked to the bridge door. He unlocked the door and Fox reactivated the security cameras. Peppy was about to leave the bridge until he stopped in his tracks.

"Oh Fox!" he said. "I almost forgot. While you're here, you might want to visit Axios."

"How's he doing?" Fox asked.

Peppy chuckled a bit.

"Let me put it this way," Peppy said, "he hates hospitals."

"Oh dear…" Krystal said.

Peppy chuckled again and turned to leave the bridge. He waved as he walked away and soon exited the _Great Fox_.

"I'm sure he's fine." Fox said.

Fox went over to a terminal and activated the ship's communicator. A holographic projection of a raccoon appeared on the holocomm. The raccoon stood tall and saluted Fox.

"Captain McCloud! Sir!"

"At ease." Fox said. "I need a connection to Corneria General Hospital."

"Yes sir."

The raccoon pushed a series of buttons on his end of the terminal.

"Connecting you now sir." he said.

After a brief pause the image of the raccoon disappeared and a new image was brought on the holocomm. A new image of a hare in a nurse's uniform appeared on screen.

"Greeting Captain McCloud." she said. "How can we help you?"

"I'm looking for talk to a patient there. He goes by the name Axios." Fox said.

"Ok, just a moment."

Fox looked to the side at Krystal.

"Something wrong?" Krystal asked.

"I hate being on hold…" Fox said.

Krystal chuckled a bit and the hare in the holocomm spoke again.

"Um, there's an issue." she said.

"What is it?" Fox asked.

"The patient you mentioned is not in his room. We actually can't find him."

Krystal and Fox became alert.

"WHAT?" Fox said.

"Where is he then?" Krystal asked.

Fox and Krystal heard a door opening behind them and turned around. They found Axios leaning on the side of the door.

"I hate hospitals…" Axios said as he was panting.

Fox quickly turned back to the nurse.

"Ok, well when you find him will you have him contact me?" Fox asked.

"Yes sir." she said.

Fox pushed a button on the console and ended the communication. He turned and faced Axios. Axios was wearing a black jacket and was still in his white hospital pants. He had bandages wrapped around his abdomen and several more around his shoulders and arms. He had stiches on his head and a scar running down the front of his neck.

"Well," Fox said, "it seems like you're making a quick recovery."

"Are you supposed to be walking?" Krystal asked.

"Probably not," Axios said, "but I can't stand sitting in a bed for hours at a time."

"How are you feeling?" Fox asked.

"Lousy, but alive. Thanks to you guys."

Axios stood up straight and approached Fox and Krystal. He smiled at them both and they smiled at him.

"I owe you two my life…" Axios said. "Thanks for saving me."

"It's what we do." Fox said. "And we'd do it again if we had to."

"Well, I'll try not to make you guys do it too often."

The three chuckled a bit and heard the doors open again; Slippy came storming into the bridge with a face full of excitement.

"Hey guys!" Slippy said. "Guess wha-"

Slippy stopped when he saw Axios.

"Axios!"

Slippy ran up to him and gave Axios a hug. However, he held him rather tightly due to his excitement.

"Slippy!" Axios said. "Slippy! Not so tight! Oh god…"

Slippy quickly let him go.

"Ha ha. Sorry…" Slippy said. "But I have to show you guys something!"

"What is it?" Krystal asked.

"Come down to the hangar and I'll show ya! We should also get Falco, where ever he is."

"I'll find him and meet you down in the hangar." Fox said.

Krystal and Axios followed Slippy while Fox went to the lounge. He found Falco still sleeping on the couch.

"Yep, that's Falco." Fox thought.

He went up to Falco and slowly lifted the magazine from his face. Falco was passed out and snoring.

"I wonder what I should do…" Fox thought to himself.

A light bulb flashed in Fox's mind. He locked the lounge door and he went to the other side of a counter. He pulled out his blaster and took cover behind the counter. He started giggling to himself and he pointed the blaster to the ceiling.

"Oh this should be good." He thought.

He pulled the trigger and the blaster went off. The sound caused Falco to jump from the couch into a frantic panic.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" he screamed.

Out of instinct, Falco pulled out his blaster and started firing in multiple random directions while jumping over tables and chairs. He flipped a table and took cover behind it while reloading his blaster. He fired blindly over the table until his blaster ran out of ammo.

"AAAAAAAAARRGHHHHHHH! YOU'RE NOT TAKING ME ALIVE YOU BASTARDS!" he screamed.

He saw the door to the lounge and leaped for the door expecting it to open. Instead he went head first into a locked door and fell to the ground.

After a brief moment of lying down on the ground, Falco lifted himself from the floor. He looked at the door and realized that is was locked. He turned and looked around the lounge. There was broken furniture everywhere and bullet holes all over the walls. He looked at the counter and noticed Fox slowly lifting his head over the counter top. Falco could see the smirk in Fox's face.

After a brief moment of looking at Falco, Fox fell down to the floor dying of laughter.

"FOX!" Falco yelled. "THAT WASN'T FUNNY!"

"The part where you dove into a door surely was." Fox said.

Falco rubbed his head to numb the pain. He slammed a button on the door controls and the door slid open. He went over to Fox who was still on the ground and held out his arm.

"You're lucky I'm out of ammo…" Falco said.

Fox took Falco's hand and Falco helped him off the floor.

"Uh-huh…" Fox said. "Can't wait to tell Slippy about this."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Falco said. "The toad will NEVER learn what happened here!"

"Sure…" Fox said sarcastically.

The two left the lounge and went to join the rest of the team in the hangar. They found the rest of the team gathered around Slippy.

"So what's the big deal Slip?" Fox asked.

"You're going to like this." Slippy said.

Slippy walked over to the docked aircraft.

"I managed to repair all of our ships and I reinforced our hulls initial alloy with a layer of depleted uranium. They should take a lot more punishment now."

Slippy also walked over to the _Arwing II_'s laser canons.

"Also," he said, "I got dad to help me out with improving our lasers. We're now packing Turan Heavy Lasers; the same firepower that the Black Suns used against us!"

Falco eye's widened.

"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" Falco said.

"I'm not done yet." Slippy said. "In light of recent events, it would seem that their modifications kicked our sorry hides back here to Corneria."

The team went silent. They did not like admitting defeat (even though they killed Eight and Six), but they narrowly escaped that confrontation with their lives.

"So," Slippy continued, "dad and I have added a new weapon slot to all of our ships."

Slippy pointed out an extra canon on each of the fighters. The canons were installed underneath each of the fighters.

"Slippy," Fox asked, "what is this?"

"That is a disruptor canon." Slippy said. "This thing fires EMP rounds at your target. If we lock on and hit the Black Suns with these, it will fry their modifications. And if we hit them multiple times with this, we can render their ship completely powerless!"

The team marveled at Slippy's inventions.

"We'll have to give thanks to Beltino for this." Krystal said.

"Well your welcome!" said a voice from behind.

The team quickly turned to see Beltino Toad actually standing behind them.

"Beltino!" Fox said.

"Ha ha…" Beltino said. "It's good to see you all again."

"How's working like a lab rat?" Falco asked.

"Oh well it has its ups and downs. At least I'm busy; I can't imagine what else I could possibly do in my free time."

Everyone chuckled a bit. Beltino Toad is Slippy's father. He worked with the Star Fox team during the Apparoid invasion. He was also the Research Director for the Cornerian Defense Force.

"Also," Beltino said, "You should thank your new friend here for his ship."

Axios was confused and pointed at himself.

"Me?" he said.

"Your ship is more advanced than the Star Fox ships and Cornerian fighters in almost every way. You're thruster modifications, your lasers; your ship makes the rest look like child's play. So, I worked with Slippy to reverse engineer all of your upgrades. The next generation of fighters will have the same features; thus improving the Cornerian aerial force."

Every one smiled at the good news, and Axios lowered his head. He was surprised that his technology was being copied for the greater good. He felt proud.

"Speaking of which," Axios said, "has my ship been repaired yet?"

Slippy took his shoulder and pointed to a ship lock that was raised to the top of the hanger.

"ROB!" Slippy called out. "Bring it down!"

The large ship lock lowered down to the ground level. Axios could not believe what he saw.

The _Nightshade_ had been completely rebuilt, and upgraded just like the other Arwings. Its most noticeable feature is that its colors were different. The entire body was white and the wing connections were painted blue. He also noticed the Star Fox insignia on the side of the hull.

"W-what?" Axios said.

The team smiled and Fox came up next to Axios.

"She looks good doesn't she?" Fox asked.

Axios was dumbstruck.

"Why is your insignia on my ship?" he asked.

"If you're going to fly with Star Fox, the least you can do is fly with our colors."

Fox looked over his shoulder and the team nodded their heads at him.

"Also, you might want this too."

Fox held out his hand to Axios and was holding a Star Fox insignia pin. Axios looked at it and was completely speechless.

"I think you've surely earned it." Fox said as he smiled at him.

Axios took the pin from his hand and stared at it for a bit. He then clenched his fist around it and held it close. He gave Fox a look of determination and pride.

"When do we leave?" Axios said.

Fox turned to the rest of the team.

"Get some rest." he said. "We're heading out in the morning."


	12. Homecoming

_Hello Again Star Fox fans! I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I am writing it. Just want to say thanks for reading this far. More chapters are around the corner. Please leave a review if you'd like, ans as always; enjoy the chapter!_

12. Homecoming

~Morning came upon the Cornerian run way. The team was ready and waiting in the bridge of the _Great Fox_ for the all clear to take off. They were also waiting for Katt to come up and join them in the bridge.

Falco was the only one unaware that Katt was tagging along. He was irritated throughout the morning as the team constantly giggled whenever he'd walk by.

"Ok seriously…" Falco said. "Did I miss a joke or something? What's going on here?"

The team simply sat in silence with smirks on their faces.

"Nothing." Amanda said. "We're just waiting for the all clear to take off, that's all."

"Uh-huh…" Falco said. "What's really going on here?"

"Well Falco," Fox said, "we wanted to surprise you so…"

As if right on cue, the door to the bridge opened. Falco turned and noticed a feline standing in the door way. He was shocked.

"So I decided to tag along with you." Katt said.

Falco's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Katt?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

Katt quickly approached Falco and embraced him. She had feelings towards Falco, and she would always come to his aid whenever she had the chance.

"I've spent the past week looking for you. Don't act like you don't want to see me now."

Falco's face flushed bright red.

"Uh…" he said. "No! It's… It's good to see you again." Lately, Katt had been randomly disappearing and reappearing like a few cases during the Lylat Wars.

The joy in Katt's face was soon wiped away as she saw Fox stand to approach her.. She released Falco and turned to Fox.

"Nice to have you aboard Katt." Fox said.

"Yea, sure." she responded. "Always a pleasure…"

Even though Katt helped the team during the Lylat Wars, she was never a fan of Fox. In fact she hated him. Her anger is mainly due to the fact that in the past Fox defeated Falco in a dog fight during the Titania Conflict.

"Um…" Fox said. "Ok then."

Fox turned to the rest of team.

"We're going to Katina to investigate a Cornerian outpost." he said. "Peppy said that they lost contact with it and they sent in a few members of the Husky and Bulldog squadrons. However, the team also stopped reporting in."

"Are the Black Suns involved?" Amanda asked.

"And is Bill with them?" Falco asked.

"That's what we're going to find out." Fox said. "I know Bill is with them, but I'm not sure if the Black Suns are involved."

"Then what are we doing sitting around here for?" Katt said. "Let's get going!"

Fox turned to ROB.

"ROB, set a course to Katina." he said.

"Affirmative." ROB responded.

The team sat down on their chairs and strapped themselves in. The _Great Fox_ took off from the Cornerian air way and ascended into the upper atmosphere. After a few minutes, the ship was in orbit.

"Everyone ready?" Fox asked.

The team nodded in response.

"All right," he said, "hit it ROB!"

ROB activated the ships hyper drive and the ship entered its hyperspace jump. As soon as the blue colorful hue of hyperspace surrounded the bridge, the team unstrapped themselves from their seats.

"Any idea what we're looking for exactly?" Slippy asked.

"We'll start by finding out what happened to Bill and his units." Fox said.

"Still don't see why none of them would report in…" Amanda said. "Aren't they the best that the Cornerian military has to offer?"

"They're surely the top guns." Falco said.

"It would be a shame if they were wiped out." Katt said.

Fox was a bit shaken with that statement. Bill Grey was Fox's longtime friend since they enrolled in the Cornerian Flight Academy. The thought of losing Bill would devastate Fox.

"That's a rather grim conclusion to jump to." Axios said.

Katt was initially confused as to why Axios was there. She didn't recall Star Fox recruiting any new members.

"Well I wasn't saying they were." she said. "Who are you any ways?"

Axios leaned back in his seat.

"My name is Axios." he said. "Former member of the Black Suns and new recruit to the Star Fox team."

Katt had a sudden epiphany.

"The Black Suns?" she asked. "Then you're responsible for the Cornerian fleet!"

Katt stood from her seat in an angry fit.

"So you recruited a convict to fly with you?" she said to Fox. "I'd never expect that kind of a call from the likes of you."

"Slow down there pussy cat." Falco said. "Axios is helping us track down and capture the other members of the Black Suns. They're kind of a big deal seemingly how they got some nasty plans for Lylat."

A line snapped within Katt's mind. She instantly remembered why she was looking for Falco in the first place.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Katt said. "Do you even know what they're planning?"

That question caught everyone's attention. They turned to Axios expecting an answer.

"What?" asked Axios.

"So you're saying you don't know?" Krystal asked.

"When I got captured, the plan was simply to aid the insurrectionists against the Cornerian military. If there was a hidden agenda, I wouldn't have known about it."

"Really?" Slippy asked.

"One was a stickler like that. He wouldn't tell us his plans until it was time to actually carry them out." Axios said.

Katt sat down in her seat.

"Well I think I can help with that." she said.

All eyes and ears were on Katt.

"The reason I came looking for Falco was because I had to share some data with him that I stole from some low life insurrectionists." she said. "I was in Titania following a lead that some people would pay the highest bitter for insurrectionists' data. I snuck into one of their abandoned based and found a computer that actually still worked. When I started going through the files, I found some pretty messed up stuff."

"What did you find?" Amanda asked.

"There were schematics for something called the _Shroud_ and a map of Corneria's capital city." she responded. "There was also coordinates for some abandoned base on Fortuna."

The team went silent.

"What else did you find?" Fox asked.

"There wasn't much left; just some info about their outposts around Lylat and stuff about the Black Suns."

Katt turned to Axios.

"You've got some pretty messed up friends…" she said.

"Tell me about it…" Axios responded.

"Exiting hyperspace jump." ROB said.

The _Great Fox_ exited its hyperspace jump and was now approaching Katina.

Fox reached for a communications console and spoke into it.

"This is Captain Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team." he said. "Husky Squadron, Bulldog Squadron, do you read?"

There was no response.

"I think it's time to head down there and find out what's going on." Krystal said.

"Second that." Slippy and Amanda both said.

"All right." Fox said. "Falco, Katt, Slippy, Amanda, the skies are yours. Krystal, Axios and I will take the _Landmaster_ and find out what's going on in the outpost on the ground; if you guys see anything suspicious, radio immediately. All right?"

The team nodded their heads and they all went towards the hangar. ROB brought the _Great Fox_ into the Katina atmosphere. The team started mounting their fighters and Fox, Krystal and Axios mounted the _Landmaster_. Katt noticed the _Nightshade_ docked in a ship lock and stared at the craft.

"You like what you see?" Falco asked.

"Is that his ship?" Katt asked.

"Oh yea… His ship is called the _Nightshade_. It's one of the eight Black Sun fighters that destroyed the Cornerian fleet."

"Oh my god…"

"The ship itself was originally painted black." Axios said. "She has more upgrades in her than any other Cornerian craft making her that much more deadly."

"That was until Slippy and Beltino gave the rest of our ships similar upgrades." Amanda said. The next time we come across the Black Suns, we'll be ready."

"And not get our butts kicked like last time." Slippy said.

"Good to know." Katt replied.

Everyone mounted their ships and ROB lowered the _Great Fox_ to the planet surface.

"Ship locks released." ROB said. "Launching in 3… 2… 1…"

The _Skyclaw, Tadpole, Bullfrog_ and _Cat's Paw_ were all launched out of the hangar.

"_Landmaster_ claws released." ROB said. "Launching in 3… 2… 1…"

The _Landmaster_'s restraints were released, and the tank itself was launched out of the hanger. Soon the team was traversing the Katina landscape.

"Hey Fox," Falco asked, "Where're we heading?"

Fox punched in the coordinates he got from Peppy and relayed them to the rest of the team.

"The outpost was used as a staging area for our fleets to dock and refit." Fox said. "Lately however the outpost stopped checking in. Peppy wants us to investigate."

"So instead of going after the Black Suns we get stuck here fixing the military's toys?" Katt remarked. "Well that's wonderful."

"Our next stop when we're done here will be Fortuna." Krystal said.

"Hopefully we'll be done here quickly so we can check on Fortuna." Slippy said.

The team continued to move over the Katina landscape towards their destination. After a brief period of traveling, the saw a faint image of a building in the distance.

"Hey!" Amanda said. "I can see the outpost!"

"Then let's move!" Falco said.

The _Skyclaw, Bullfrog, Tadpole, Cat's Paw, _and _Landmaster_ all boosted towards the outpost. As they were moving closer, they noticed several figures in the air surrounding the outpost.

"Wait a minute!" Axios said. "Those are insurrectionists!"

The team noticed a squadron of fighters approaching them at high speeds. After a brief moment of closing in on the opposing ships, the enemy started to open fire.

"Team!" Fox said. "Break off and engage!"

Falco, Slippy, Amanda, and Katt all broke their formation to engage the insurrectionists.

"Ha ha!" Falco said. "Nice welcome!"

"Make way for Katt!" Katt said.

"Guess we found out why the soldiers stopped reporting in." Amanda said.

"Let's put these upgrades to the test!" Slippy said.

The Star Fox team was beyond prepared to handle the squadron. The upgrades to their lasers, and armor allowed them to cut through the insurrectionist fighters with ease.

"Ha Ha!" Falco said. "Oh this is too easy!"

Falco was trailing a group of insurrectionist fighters. As he opened fire, he noticed his laser rounds destroying the ships with a single laser round.

"Oh man," he said, "it almost hurts me just as much to watch!"

The _Skyclaw_ pulled up into the air to chase more fighters. Meanwhile, the _Bullfrog_ and _Tadpole_ were in formation being chased by a trio of insurrectionists.

"We got a few on our backs!" Amanda said.

"I see them." Slippy said.

Amanda looked over her shoulder as the fighters opened fire upon them. Although their ships were being struck, the reinforcements to the shields and hull prevented the laser rounds from even leaving a scratch.

"Not to worry…" Katt said. "I got this."

The _Cat's Paw_ closed in behind Slippy and Amanda's trio of pursuers. She locked on and fired a charged laser round at the fighter in the center. The resulting impact caused all three fighters to be destroyed midflight.

"Don't mess with me…" Katt mumbled.

Katt banked the _Cat's Paw_ to the side and she was being followed by Slippy and Amanda. The four ships in the air were doing well handling the fighters. Meanwhile on the ground, the _Landmaster_ was closing in on the outpost gates.

Fox was tense as can be as he was driving the _Landmaster_. Krystal could see the worry in his eyes.

"Fox?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Bill." Fox replied. "He was sent here to investigate, and hasn't checked back. I've got to find him."

"I'm sure we'll find your friend in one piece." Axios said. "Have a bit of faith, but don't lose your focus."

Fox shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on driving. The _Landmaster_ was closing in on the outpost gates. They noticed that there were a group of insurrectionists were patrolling the gate.

"Fox?" Axios said.

"Knock knock!" Fox said.

He charged the _Landmaster_'s main canon and locked on to the door. Fox released his triggers and the tank fired it main canon. The resulting impact destroyed the gate and killed the patrolling guards. The _Landmaster_ moved through the gates and entered a large garage filled with insurrectionist fighters.

"This is where the fun begins." Axios said.

Axios pulled out his blaster and his knife. Krystal pulled out her staff and kept her blaster holstered.

"Just be careful." Krystal said. "You survived one near death experience, don't plan on surviving two."

"Noted." Axios replied.

The trio was ambushed by a group of insurrectionists. They opened fire upon the _Landmaster_ but had no success in damaging the tank.

"My turn…" Fox grinned.

Fox started firing the main canon throughout the hangar decimating any insurrectionist that got in his way. After a brief moment, the garage was clear of enemies.

"Bail out." Fox said.

Fox pressed a button on the console and opened the main hatch. Krystal and Axios both hopped out and had their weapons ready.

"ROB!" Fox said. "Which way to the control room?"

"Control room located two hundred meters west of your position." ROB replied.

"What about Bill? And any other members of the Husky and Bulldog units?"

"There are no IFF receivers being shown. There is a large probability that the soldiers have been captured and their ships dismantled."

"Fox!" Aios called out. "We'll head to the control room to gather the data we need! Take the tank and go find your friend!"

Fox was a bit hesitant. At times like this, he wanted to be by Krystal's side. But Bill's safety was another stress point in his mind.

"Fox!" Krystal said. "We'll be all right! Go find Bill."

Fox nodded his head and turned the tank out of the garage.

"Axios," Fox said, "take care of Krystal."

"I will." Axios responded.

Fox pulled the _Landmaster_ out of the garage. He turned around the corner and noticed two more buildings. One appeared to be an armory, and the other appeared to be a barracks. Fox drove the _Landmaster_ to the barracks first to see if he could have any luck finding Bill there. As he got half way between the two buildings, he was harassed by an enemy fighter from above.

"Guys, I need those skies clear!" Fox said.

After a brief second, Fox noticed a ship crashing towards him.

"WHOA!"

He slammed his boost pedal and lifted the _Landmaster_ into the air. The crashing ship rolled underneath him and the _Landmaster_ landed back on the ground.

"Hey Foxie!" Falco said. "The skies are one more ship clear now!"

"I meant protect me!" Fox yelled. "Not send a dying ship crashing towards me!"

"Heh, well this is payback for the lounge!"

"Wait, what happened in the lounge?" Slippy asked.

Falco was dumbstruck.

"Uh…" he said. "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Then why were there bullet holes everywhere?" Slippy asked.

"Um… Shut it Slip!"

Fox looked up and noticed the _Skyclaw_, and _Bullfrog_ fly right above him in formation. They both banked to the right to continue engaging more insurrectionist forces. Fox continued to the barracks. as soon as he was in range he fired the _Landmaster_'s main canon and made a hole in the wall. He dismounted the tank and grabbed his assault rifle. He entered the barracks looking for any sign of Bill and found that the barracks were completely empty.

"Damn…" he thought.

He returned to the _Landmaster_ and went to check out the second building. Meanwhile, Axios and Krystal were fighting their way to the control room. They were both pinned down with rifle fire from a group of insurrectionists.

"There's too many of them!" Krystal said.

"Numbers mean nothing when compared to skill!" Axios said. "All we need to do is get close to them. I'd doubt they can fight us off hand to hand."

A light bulb turned on in Krystal's head.

"I got an Idea!" she said. "Get ready!"

Krystal gripped her staff tightly and light started to run up and down the shaft. Axios braced himself and was ready to charge the group of insurrectionists. Krystal leaped into the air and slammed her staff to the ground using the earthquake ability. The resulting shock wave staggered all the ill prepared insurrectionists. Axios took this moment to charge the insurrectionists.

"He's coming!" called out one of the insurrectionists.

The group regained their stances and started to open fire upon Axios. Axios was running and dodging bullets at the same time. He ducked, and dove to the sides avoiding fire, and even went as far as to jump and flip of walls while making his way towards the insurrectionists.

"Now you're mine!" Axios said.

Axios reached out and grabbed an insurrectionist by his collar. He thrust his knife into the soldier's neck, and pulled him over his back. The soldier's corpse shielded Axios from incoming fire. Axios pulled the knife out of the soldier's neck and kick him towards the soldiers that were firing upon him. He charged them at the same time and shot two of the soldiers with his blaster. He grabbed a third soldier and got around behind him. He reached around the soldier's throat and slit it with his knife. He aimed the other direction and shot another pair of soldiers. He grabbed the dying soldier that was behind him and threw him over his shoulder. As soon as his body hit the ground Axios stabbed the knife into his heart.

Krystal looked as Axios stood over all of the bodies. She was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected such a crazed killer instinct from Axios considering his quiet, caring background.

"This should be the door." Axios said.

Krystal walked up to him.

"Nice… Um… work." Krystal said.

Axios looked upon the corpses.

"The Black Suns went through some pretty intense training should we ever run into situations like this." he said.

"Right." Krystal said.

Before they were about to open the door to the control room, they received an urgent call from Fox.

"Axios! Krystal! Where are you?" Fox asked.

Fox was standing in a control room within the armory looking at monitor.

"We're outside the control room door." Krystal responded. "Axios is working on the lock to get inside."

"What? No!" Fox said. "Get out of there! Now!"

Fox was looking through a security camera inside the control room. He could see a timer on a large bomb counting down.

"Fox, what's the matter?" Krystal asked.

As soon as she finished her question, the door to the control room opened. Axios and Krystal froze in place as they saw a timer on the bomb countdown from three seconds.

"Oh…" Axios said.

As soon as the timer struck zero, the bomb detonated. Time slowed down around the Axios and Krystal. Axios reached out towards Krystal's arm to pull her away from the door. The two turned to run away from the door. Time returned to normal and the shockwave from the blast launched the two down the hall. The cameras in the hall were destroyed, and Fox watched as Axios and Krystal disappeared behind the flames.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Fox cried. "KRYSTAAAAALLLLL!"

To add insult to injury, Falco was calling Fox over the communicator with grim news.

"Fox!" Falco said. "We got trouble! BIG trouble! The Black Suns fleet! It's the _Void!_ They're here!"

Fox looked out the window and noticed a massive black fleet entering the Katina atmosphere.

"FOX!" Slippy cried. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"We can't hold out against and entire fleet!" Amanda called out.

"Hey!" Katt said. "I say we back off and split!"

Every muscle and bone cried at Fox telling him to go find Axios and especially Krystal. However, if he did then he would ultimately loose his team to the oncoming danger.

"Fox." ROB said. "_Great Fox_ is moving in for emergency extraction. Proceed to evacuation zone."

Fox slammed the console in front of him several times.

"NO!" he cried. "No no no no no!"

A tear started to run down his face.

"I'll kill you…" Fox said. "I'll kill you all!"

Fox turned away from the console and exited the armory. He entered the _Landmaster_ and proceeded towards the extraction. Fox lifted the _Landmaster_ in the air and the _Great Fox_ came down to sweep him into the hangar bay. The _Skyclaw, Tadpole, Bullfrog,_ and_ Cat's Paw_ all entered the hangar and the _Great Fox_ quickly left the Katina system.

On board the _Void_, One stood in front of a window watching the team run away and the outpost burning to the ground.

"Status…" he said.

"The bomb went off as planned." replied his servant. "Two, and the purple vixen, Krystal, were both caught amidst the explosion. Even if they survived the blast, they will not survive the crushing debris."

One was silent. He looked down upon the burning outpost and had a sad look on his face. The silence was broken when the servant was receiving a call.

"Lieutenant Veers." said the voice. "Lieutenant Veers, this is Commander Toran. Where are you? Where is the _Providence_?"

One turned towards his servant. The servant removed his hood and quickly placed a military cap upon his head. Veers was a wolf. He had brown fur, and stood as tall as one. He removed his robes to reveal the decorations on his military uniform.

"Forgive me, master." Veers said. "But I'm being called away."

"Remember the rendezvous on Fortuna." One said. "And if Toran finds out about our agenda, I want you to deal with it."

"Understood."

Veers turned away and exited the bridge. As the doors closed behind him, One turned back towards the destruction. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"It didn't have to be this way, brother…" One said.


	13. The Black Spy

_Hello again Star Fox fans! Just want to say thanks again for reading this far! I appreciate all of the reviews too, and I love the comments you guys have been leaving. Sorry about the delay in the last chapter as I had several university issues to tend to. Please keep leaving reviews if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

13. The Black Spy

~When his eyes opened, he found himself lying down in a grassy field, but he was confused. Just a moment ago he was running from an explosion and was fighting alongside Krystal. Now he was staring up at the sun. The air was cool, and the environment was peaceful. He slowly sat up and noticed he was still in his combat armor. However, his blaster and knife were no longer with him.

"What's going on?" Axios thought.

He stood up and started to walk around. There were no trees, there were no benches, no other people, and no other signs of life; he was alone.

"Where am I?" he asked himself.

He continued to walk forward and realized that the field went on forever. He looked around him and realized that there was absolutely nothing but the clear blue sky and the endless field of grass. Axios started to run, but there was nowhere to run to.

"This is crazy…" he thought.

After a brief moment, Axios heard a voice from behind him. He turned and saw Luna standing there in front of him.

"Hello Axios." Luna said.

"Luna?" Axios asked. "You're here? But if you're here… Am I dead?"

Luna chuckled.

"No Axios, you're not dead." she said. "But you're in danger, and so is Krystal."

Axios snapped into attention. He remembered that Krystal was also in the explosion.

"Krystal?" Axios said. "Oh no, she was with me! The explosion, we-"

"I know." Luna interrupted. "I wish you could stay, but it's time for me to go. It's also time for you to wake up."

Luna started to slowly fade into the distance. Axios reached out to her and called her name.

"Luna, wait!" he said. "Luna!"

He heard her whisper in her head.

"Wake up Axios."

Just as those words finished, Axios eyes snapped wide open. His hearing was still very faint but he could hear someone screaming. He looked to the side and noticed a blue figure lifting up a piece of debris and tossing it to the side. The figure came back to Axios and grabbed his shoulders.

"Axios!" Krystal said. "Axios!"

Axios's hearing returned to him and Krystal's voice had cleared up.

"Axios! We need to get out of here!" Krystal said.

Axios slowly got up and realized that the building was burning down around them.

"Come on!" Krystal said.

Axios finally snapped back into reality and started to follow Krystal. The two ran down the hall from the entrance of the control room. Axios was still confused.

"How did we survive that?" Axios asked.

"I'll explain later!" Krystal responded.

The two turned a corner and started to run down the next hall way. However, the ceiling came down right in front of them and the two quickly reversed direction. They ran down an adjacent hall way and rounded another corner. At the end of the hall way they saw light. They had found an exit.

"Down there!" Krystal called out.

The scene was all too familiar to Axios. He started to see images flash in front of him of the night he lost Luna. As the two ran down the hall, the ceiling collapsed behind them. Unfortunately, Krystal tripped and fell behind. Axios was about to turn and grab her, but he dove away as the ceiling came down in between them. He looked and saw Krystal on the other side.

"No…" Axios thought.

He lost focus and saw the faint image of Luna behind the debris. He was reliving his nightmare.

"Luna…" Axios said.

He saw her in front of the flames. She was looking at him with tears in her eyes. He was about to lose her again. However, reality snapped in for a brief second as Axios heard a feminine cry.

"Axios!" Krystal called out.

As if he was reliving his nightmare, he was hesitant at first to run to the pile of debris in between the two.

"Axios! I need help!" Krystal cried.

From that moment, something snapped in Axios. He ran to the debris and started to claw at it with all his strength.

"Not again!" he said. "I'm not going to lose her again!"

Krystal heard his statement and was confused. She took a quick moment to read his thoughts. She saw the flames from his perspective, and also saw Luna standing behind a pile of debris.

"You can see her?" she asked.

Axios ignored her question. He continued to claw away at the debris in between them. Krystal noticed something in Axios. She saw tears in his eyes as he was grabbing the pieces of rubble. Axios was tearing at the debris with the force of a thousand men. He went berserk and started to throw pieces of rubble behind him.

"NOT AGAIN!" he cried.

After a brief moment, the debris had been cleared enough for Krystal to squeeze on through. Axios grabbed her arm and pulled her out. He stood her on her feet but Krystal felt a sharp pain in her leg that caused her to immediately fall over. Axios grabbed her and carried her in his arms. He sprinted towards the exit and the two eventually made it out" of the collapsing building.

"She's safe…" Axios thought. "I saved her…"

He turned and faced the burning building as it collapsed to the ground. He looked up and noticed the Black Suns fleet leaving the atmosphere. He got angry of the sight of the Black Suns, and it made him even angrier watching them leave. He turned away from the fleet and started walking the other direction. His attention returned to the vixen that was being held in his arms.

"You ok?" Axios asked.

"Yea, thanks." Krystal said. "Can you put me down?"

Axios's face flushed red and he gently set Krystal down on her feet. Krystal started limping as one of her legs was in pain.

"Where are you hurting?" Axios asked.

Krystal looked at her leg and noticed a small piece of metal sticking out of her. She could hardly put any weight on her leg without there being any pain. Axios noticed the piece of metal and picked Krystal up again.

"Axios, I can w-"

"No you can't." Axios interrupted. "Just sit tight, I'll take care of it."

Axios looked up and noticed the sky was beginning to darken. He also heard a clap of thunder. He looked around the compound of the outpost and noticed the ruins of the barracks.

"We'll try there." he said.

"Axios," Krystal said, "Really, it's not that big of-"

"You can't walk. Not with only one leg. I know I'm not Fox so I can understand why you're feeling a bit awkward about this."

Krystal's face turned grim. She was afraid that if Fox were to see the two of them then he would be angry. Krystal loved Fox, more than anything; but at times like this, the image would cause conflicting emotions. Axios noticed Krystal in her emotional panic.

"Don't worry." Axios said. "Fox won't know about this."

"Ok, thanks." Krystal said.

"While you are very beautiful and all, I would like to avoid Fox wanting to shoot me when this is all over."

Krystal blushed at his last comment. It was as if a friendlier, and more trust worthy of Panther was attempting to woo her. However, Axios would never cross Fox, especially when It involved Krystal.

"Smart man." Krystal said.

Axios carried Krystal into the barracks and set her down on top of one of the beds. He looked around for anything he could use to take care of Krystal's wound. He walked into an adjacent room and noticed a first aid cabinet. He grabbed what he could and returned to Krystal. He sat down next to her and started to examine her wound.

"It's a piece of metal." he said. "I'll take it out, but it's going to hurt a bit."

Krystal reached for some bed sheets and placed them in her mouth.

"You ready?" Axios asked.

Krystal bit down on the sheets and she nodded her head. Axios reached for the metal in her leg and started to pull. Krystal instantly clamped her jaws around the sheets as the pain was excruciating. After a brief pull, Axios took the metal out of Krystal's leg and wrapped her wound with some bandages he found in the medical cabinet.

"We should find something to help you walk until that gets better." Axios said.

"I'll just stay off my feet for a bit." Krystal said.

"And while we're at it, I'll see if I can find us a ride out of here."

Axios looked outside and noticed that there was a storm coming. Rain slowly started to fall down upon the barracks. Thankfully there was still a roof over the beds so that Axios and Krystal still had shelter.

"Well that's just great." Axios said.

"Better than getting fired upon." Krystal remarked.

"Touché. Stay put, I'm going to head to the hangar to see what I can find."

Axios stood from his seated position and started to walk away from Krystal.

"Axios, wait." Krystal said.

"What is it?" Axios asked as he turned to Krystal.

"Thank you."

Axios lowered his head and smiled.

"You remind me of her you know." he said.

Krystal raised her head in a bit of confusion.

"Fox is truly blessed to have someone like you." Axios said. "I can see why he loves you so much."

Axios went outside into the storm to find a vehicle in the hangar. Krystal lowered her head and smiled. She thought about all of the happy moments between her and Fox. She loved him, and Fox loved her. She couldn't be any happier knowing that now the two of them could be together. However, this mission had been acting against the team. Fox and Krystal were now separated, and Fox himself thinks that Krystal had been killed. At this moment, Fox was in a rampage. He confined himself in his office and was throwing furniture in a raging fit.

"NO!" Fox cried. "NO NO NO NO NO!"

Fox swept his arm over his desk and threw a monitor into a wall. He let out several more cries of agony until he fell backwards against a wall. He placed his hands over his head as tears started to stream down his face.

"Krystal…" he whispered to himself. "Krystal… Krystal… Krystal… Please… Please…"

The image of seeing her disappear behind the flames reappeared in his mind. He squeezed his head even harder and let out more cries of agony.

"KRYSTAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL LL!" he cried. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Outside of his office, Falco, Slippy, Amanda, and Katt were all in silence. They could hear Fox's screaming, and they were all worried about him. Slippy and Amanda were both holding each other with tears brewing in their eyes. Katt was gently holding Falco as he was also broken hearted. Falco cared about the Star Fox team. Whether it showed or not, he considered the team his family. To lose Krystal and Axios put Falco into a deep stage of sadness.

"We should go…" Falco said.

"B-but what about Fox?" Slippy asked while wiping away tears.

"We gotta leave him."

The team slowly stepped away from the door and started to move towards the bridge. They left Fox in his office. They could not build the courage to face him, not while he was emotionally distraught. The rest of the team regrouped in the bridge. They were all silent and mourning the loss of their teammates. The silence was soon broken as they heard ROB speak.

"Incoming transmission." ROB said. "General Hare is on the line."

Falco looked amongst the team.

"I'll take it." he said.

Falco approached the communications terminal and pushed a flashing button. Peppy's image appeared on the holoprojector.

"Team…" he said. "Are you guys all right?"

"I don't know gramps…" Falco said. "You tell me… Slippy and Amanda are struck with grief, Katt is trying her best to cheer me up, Fox is on an emotional rampage, and we lost Axios and Krystal!"

Peppy was silent. He knew he could not say too much as he could not be there with them.

"I'm sorry Falco…" he said. "And I'm sorry to all of you too. I sent you there, and now you're suffering because of me."

"Can it gramps." Falco said. "Don't be putting this on all on your own. I'll knock your block off if you say this was all your fault."

"We're all to blame." Katt said.

"We didn't find the soldiers," Amanda said, "and the outpost was overrun with insurrectionist forces. The Black Sun fleet also showed up, and we had to leave shortly after."

"We weren't ready to take on an entire fleet." Slippy said. "Had we stayed, we would have been toast."

Peppy lowered his head.

"Did you have any chance to look for Krystal and Axios?" Peppy asked.

"No." Falco responded. "They were caught in the explosion as the Black Suns started to show up. Fox watched them get caught in the explosion through a security camera. He was certain that they did not make it."

"I see, and where is Fox?"

"I'm pretty sure you don't want to talk to him right now. He's in-"

Falco was interrupted as he heard a door open behind him. Fox stood at the bridge entrance completely distraught. He slowly walked up to the terminal. Peppy could see Fox in his emotionally compromised condition.

"We're going to Fortuna…" Fox said. "And we're taking the Black Suns down today…"

"Fox," Peppy said, "are you ok?"

"We're going to Fortuna…"

"Fox listen to me, Krystal and Axios-"

"I said, we're going to Fortuna. Unless you're sending military support, I don't want to hear what you have to say."

"Fox wait!"

Fox pressed a button on the communications terminal and ended the call from Peppy. He looked amongst the rest of the team.

"Get ready," he said, "because we're going to Fortuna. And we're going to shut down the Black Suns."

"Fox," Falco said, "maybe you should take a break. You don't look so-"

"Are you with me or not?" Fox interrupted.

"Fox," Slippy said, "I'm really sorry about Krystal, I really am. But we can't just go charging into Fortuna without some kind of plan."

"Not to mention that we're not at full strength anymore." Amanda said. "If we charged in with brute force, the Black Suns will tear us to pieces."

Fox stood there with his head hunched over the terminal. He didn't respond to any of his crews suggestions. Falco came up to him and gently placed his hand on Fox's shoulders.

"Buddy," Falco said, "we need to regroup. We need help; we can't take on the Black Suns by ourselves, especially taking on their entire fleet."

Fox slowly started to lift his head. More tears started to roll down his cheek. He took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"All right…" he said. "ROB, set a course for Corneria. After we refit and rearm, then we'll head to Fortuna."

The rest of the team nodded their heads in agreement. Fox left the bridge and returned to isolation in his office. He opened the door and noticed his office in ruins from his emotional rampage. He walked over to his desk and found a broken picture frame of Krystal. He looked at the photo and more tears started to roll down his cheek.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm so sorry Krystal… I'm so sorry…"

He fell back into his chair while staring at the photo.

"Please… Please come back… Please…"

As ROB piloted the _Great Fox_ on course for Corneria, things were getting tense in the Cornerian Space Defense Zone. Lieutenant Veers had just reentered the sector and received a very angry call from Commander Toran. Veers was gazing out of an observation window in the bridge of the _Providence_, a destroyer class Cornerian cruiser.

"Sir!" called out a crew man.

"What is it?" Veers responded.

"I have Commander Toran on the line trying to speak with you."

"Forward it to my office."

Veers left the bridge and turned into a long hall way. At the end of the hall way was his office. He walked through the doors and closed them. He approached his desk and noticed a flashing light on his private console. He turned on his communicator and pushed a button. Within moments, a hologram of Commander Toran was present in front of him. Veers saluted the commander, yet Toran did not salute him back.

"Sir." Veers said.

"Where were you?" Veers asked.

"Conducting a routine patrol over Katina space sir."

"Drop the sir crap. What's really going on Veers?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You have abused you authority and sent the _Providence_ on multiple "routine patrols". I am ordering you to explain yourself."

"I have nothing to hide. The Cornerian military frequently sends out cruisers to conduct patrols within systems near Corneria. I was merely following protocol for the _Providence_'s flight plans."

"You're flirting on the edges of Cornerian controlled space. You have overstepped your boundaries, and you are becoming a nuisance to keep track of. Remember Veers, the _Providence_ is part of the 1st Engagement Fleet; my fleet. I have command over all the ships including the _Providence_. I allowed your personal command over the _Providence_ because I felt that I could count on your capabilities to lead responsibly. Yet you have taken your ship into the nearby systems without clearance and without notifying me."

"Are you calling me to relieve me of my command?"

"No. I am calling you to warn you that your transgressions are not going unnoticed. If this behavior of yours continues, I will personally have you court marshaled and dishonorably discharged for abuse of command and endangering the crew of the _Providence_."

Toran shot one last sneering look at Veers.

"Consider this, your first and last warning." he said.

Toran pushed a button on his console and his hologram had disappeared. Veers walked over to his doors and locked them. He then placed a small electronic device into his communications terminal. He pushed a series of buttons and simply waited. After a few brief moments, the hologram of One appeared in front of him.

"Master." Veers said.

"The importance of this call determines your usefulness to me." One said. "What is it?"

"Toran is becoming more than a nuisance. He has started questioning my movements of the _Providence_. He has not discovered my involvement with the Black Suns, but now he is suspicious."

"I told you to handle the situation should he become a problem."

"And I will. But I am requesting asylum from the Black Suns fleet after I have finished Toran."

"Asylum? Are you saying that you're planning on eliminating Toran?"

"Yes."

"You crew?"

"They are loyal to me and me alone. I made sure of that. They are ready and willing to turn I when I give the order."

"The _Providence_?"

"I will add her capabilities to the Black suns fleet thus strengthening your numbers."

"And what about you?"

"I will follow you through the destruction of Corneria, and into the new empire fighting by your side."

One turned away and placed his hand on his chin. He took a moment to think about what Veers was telling him. After his brief period of thought, One turned back to Veers.

"Is this channel secured?" One asked.

"Yes, I placed my jammer into the terminal before calling you." Veers responded.

"Very well. Eliminate Toran, and then regroup with us on Fortuna. The time has come to cast the shroud over Corneria."

"It the _Shroud_ finished?"

"It is in its final stages of construction. Its main canon will do the job nicely."

"I will be at Fortuna within a few days' time."

"Don't keep us waiting."

One reached forward and pushed a few buttons on his console. His hologram disappeared and now Veers was alone in his office. He reached for the terminal and took out the jammer he used to encrypt the signal. He walked around his desk, unlocked the door, and walked out of his office.

"The time has come." Veers thought. "The time has come…"


	14. A Treasure Hidden in Shadow

_Hello again Star Fox fans! As always, I work to please. I apologize again for the lateness of my updates, but college again is giving me a heavy work load. Also, I want to give you all really big thanks. Star Fox: Black Sun has reached over one thousand views! I really appreciate everyone choosing to read my story as it's my very first story I've posted here on Fan Fiction. Again, thanks to all of you! I don't think I would have the motivation to continue posting if no one chose to read or review my story. THANK YOU!_

_Here is the next installment of Black Sun. Please leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

14. A Treasure Hidden in Shadow

~The night on Corneria was the worst night he had experienced since he asked Krystal to leave the team. He was tossing and turning under his sheets as he was having a horrid nightmare.

Fox was fighting in a hall way. He was opening fire upon a group of insurrectionists and Krystal was at his side. Eventually, the two cleared out the group of insurrectionists and they moved on.

"Keep an eye on our backs." Fox said.

Krystal nodded her head and had her staff ready in her hands. She was walking backwards as Fox was walking forward. The two were in another factory looking for the control room to give the Cornerian military more info. They ascended several a stairwell and they were coming up to the control room door.

"This is it." Fox said. "Be ready."

Krystal nodded her head and Fox opened the door. As if he was viewing it from their perspective, the door opened to reveal the same bomb he saw on Katina. The timer was counting down from five seconds and Fox's heart stopped. He reached for Krystal but the bomb went off before he could grab her. However, he wasn't harmed from the explosion; instead he watched Krystal's figure disappear behind the flames. Fox reached out through the fire towards Krystal, but when he retracted his hands he was holding ash. Within the ash was Krystal's green and blue beads. Soon, Fox found himself being lit on fire, and he screamed shortly after.

Fox's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up in his bed. He was sweating and panting from his nightmare. He couldn't shake the image from his head, and he threw himself into a panic.

"I can't take this." he thought. "I'm going back, I should never have left! I don't care if the Black Suns are in the sector, I can't live without her."

Fox got out of bed, and suited up in his combat flight suit. He exited his room in the _Great Fox_ and made his way towards the hangar. When he rounded the corner to the hangar doors, he noticed Falco leaning up against the wall. Falco was also suited in his combat flight armor and as he shot a serious look at Fox, Fox froze in his tracks. The two locked into a serious gaze of straight faces, and then Falco broke the silence.

"I know what you're planning." Falco said. "Chasing a ghost Fox?"

"She's alive." Fox responded. "I know she is."

Falco took a step away from the wall and faced Fox.

"Well then I'm coming with you." he said.

"Falco…" Fox said.

"Hey, no buddy of mine is going into hell without some back up. The Black Suns are likely still in the area. You'll need some help."

Fox lowered his head. He didn't want to involve any one else in this mission. In fact, it was the last he wanted. However, Falco was persistent as ever, and Fox couldn't say no to bring the team's ace pilot with him on a rescue mission.

"This mission will be under the radar, got it?" Fox asked. "No one else is to know. If the Black Suns are still in the area, we're not to engage. We move in, grab Krystal, and get out. Deal?"

"Deal." Falco said.

Fox and Falco entered the hangar and found their ships docked in the locks. They approached a stair case and started walking on the platform.

"ROB won't be too happy about this." Fox said.

"Don't worry about him." Falco said. "I shut him down. He won't even know we've been gone."

"You shut him down?"

"He does get annoying from time to time."

Fox rolled his eyes and entered the _Arwing II_. Falco at the same time entered his _Skyclaw_. The two pilots pushed several buttons on their consoles and activated a manual release from the hangar locks. Fox and Falco launched their ships out of the hangar and into the Cornerian atmosphere. As soon as they entered orbit, they looked for the _Pathfinder_.

"Hey Fox," Falco asked, "Do these hyper pods work?"

"Beltino and Slippy worked on them together." Fox said. "The _Pathfinder _hyper pods should work like a charm."

The _Pathfinder_ was an orbital platform that served as a hyperspace port for smaller aircraft. Fighter class ships such as the Arwings would dock with the platform and merge their ship with a hyper pod. The hyper pods possess the engines to drive an individual fighter into hyperspace, and also provided the shielding for the fighter to survive the trip. In this case, it provided a quick and easy method of transport for individual fighter squadrons rather than sending an entire fleet.

Falco and Fox pulled the _Arwing II_ and the _Skyclaw_ into their hyper pod docking bays. The tip of their ships merged with the hyper pod, and a set of clamps closed down upon their fighters.

"Ship locked." said an onboard computer. "Please enter destination."

Fox and Falco both entered the coordinates of the outpost they attacked on Katina. The hyper pods slowly drifted away from the station and formed on each other's wing.

"Fox," Falco hesitantly said, "Are you sure these things are gonna-"

Before Falco could finish his sentence; the hyper pods were launched into their hyperspace jump. Falco and Fox were both held back against their seats not aware the sudden acceleration acted before the G-diffuser could successfully counter act the G-forces of the hyperspace jump. After a few brief minutes, the two pods exited hyperspace.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA" Falco said. "I didn't expect that."

Fox struggled to lean forward in his seat. The jump for a smaller craft generated more force acting upon the pilot compared to a conventional frigate. After shaking loose the pain, Fox focused on the planet. His facial expression was a mixture of determination and worry. He wanted to find Krystal, and he wasn't going to leave until he is holding Krystal in his arms; alive or dead.

"Shake it off Falco." Fox said. "We got work to do."

"Right right." Falco replied.

The _Arwing II_ and the _Skyclaw_ detached from their hyper pods and started to fly towards the planet. The two ships quickly descended through the atmosphere and were now traversing the Katina landscape. They also noticed the storm as rain was brushing up against Fox and Falco's windshield.

"Great…" Falco said. "Didn't feel like getting wet on this mission."

"Falco…" Fox said.

"Relax, we're seeing this through together."

Fox and Falco continued to the outpost. After a few minutes of flying, they had finally reached their destination. They saw the outpost in ruins, and there were still small flames emerging from the debris. The rain was doing well to extinguish the flames. Fox and Falco were both circling the outpost in the air. Both of them bore grim look on their faces. They pushed a button in their consoles and search light beams emerged from their fighter. They were both distraught at the devastation they were both viewing.

"Fox," Falco said, "that place is a complete mess. I still want to find Krystal and Axios, but first appearance looks pretty bad."

Fox did not respond. All he could think about was finding Krystal. He knew they couldn't see much in the air, so he started his decent in the middle of the outpost.

"Let's put them down." Fox said. "I want to thoroughly search the area."

Falco nodded his head and also lowered the _Skyclaw_ into a descent. The two ships landed in the middle of the outpost in between the ruined buildings. The first place they entered was the main hangar. As Fox and Falco dug their way through a pile of rubble, they were inside the hangar; or what was left of it.

"Talk about a big boom." Falco said. "This place is completely wrecked."

Fox and Falco turned on a set of flashlights and scanned the hangar. Half of the hangar was on the ground, and the other half was barely standing. They climbed over piles of rubble in search for Krystal and Axios, but they had found no sign of them within the building. Fox pointed his flash light down the hall way towards the control room. He started traversing more debris and started walking down the hall way. He stopped at the entrance to the control room. The devastation was beyond extreme. The entire control room had been completely taken out from the explosion. Rain was all that was left in the ground of the control room. Fox looked around and tried to deduce the scene in his head.

"Krystal…" he thought.

Fox closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He reopened his eyes and looked around the hall way. Afterwards, he slowly started to move down the hall way trying to imitate the path Krystal and Axios took. He started moving back down the hall way until he found Falco again.

"Find anything Foxie?" he asked.

Fox was still silent, and he continued moving slowly. He had his flashlight on the ground incase he'd find something on the ground. His eyes were focused on his footsteps and he was trying to follow the path that Krystal and Axios took.

"Hey, you awake man?" Falco asked again.

Fox continued on his path. He quickened his pace as he felt he was picking up the trail. To his fortune, he noticed droplets of blood on the ground that made a small trail.

"Falco!" Fox called out.

Falco rushed over and noticed the blood trail that Fox was shining his light on. He let loose a small smile at the sight.

"Looks like someone made it out of here." Falco said.

"Someone." Fox said. "But I'm not sure if it's Krystals. Either way, it's a start. Let's follow it."

The two followed the blood trail until they reached the edge of the hangar. The trail stopped as it hit the edge of the rain. The rain washed away the rest of the trial, but Fox and Falco gathered enough information to gauge where the trail would of lead.

"Let's check the barracks." Fox said.

Falco and Fox crossed the outpost in the rain to reach the barracks. They entered the barracks through the impact hole Fox made with the _Landmaster_.

"Well Foxie," Falco said, "You surely like to make an entrance."

Fox ignored that last comment. He entered the barracks to find that there was no one there. He slowly walked in between the beds and examined each closely. He noticed one of the beds had blood stains near the end. Fox walked over to examine the bed more closely. He could smell the faint scent of Krystal's aroma. The scent made Fox smile, and he was partially relieved. Falco was a bit confused.

"Fox?" he asked.

"She's alive, and she's been through here." Fox said. "Someone was hurt, and their wounds were treated here."

"How can you tell?"

Fox held up an open first aid kit and smirked at Falco.

"Never mind then." Falco said. "But who was hurt? Krystal or Axios?"

"I don't know." Fox responded.

In truth, Fox had completely forgotten about Axios. He was so focused on finding Krystal that he wasn't aware that Axios was with her. Now that the thought finally came to his head, he realized that Axios was also alive. He also realized that Axios kept his promise; he took care of Krystal.

"They left, but I have no idea where." Fox said. "We need to see if we can find any trace of a vehicle leaving the area."

"And how would we do that?" Falco asked.

Fox stood and walked towards the edge of the barracks. He looked out into the raining Katina landscape. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He tried to think logically about which way they could have gone. After a minute of silence, he felt a strange feeling that was telling him to go west away from the outpost.

"We go west." Fox said.

A few kilometers to the west, Axios and Krystal were riding a speed bike over the Katina landscape. They had managed to find and repair a speed bike that was not completely destroyed in the explosion. Krystal had a splint around her lower leg, and Axios's hands and chest were wrapped in bandages due to the burns he received from digging at the debris. Krystal felt a strange presence as they continued to flee the outpost; a presence all too familiar.

"He's here…" Krystal said.

Krystal had her arms around Axios to keep herself on the bike. When the thought of Fox reentered her, she loosened her grip around Axios. She looked up at him and gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Axios," Krystal said, "stop the bike!"

Axios turned off to the side and brought the speed bike to a halt.

"What is it?" Axios asked.

"Fox… And Falco…" she responded. "They're here."

"Where?"

Krystal pointed back towards the outpost. Axios eased of the accelerator and U-turned the bike back towards the compound. He throttled on the accelerator again and sped the bike towards the compound. At the same time, Fox and Falco entered their fighters and lifted them of the ground. They veered their fighters off to the west in search of Axios and Krystal. After several minutes of the speeder and fighters closing on each other, Fox and Falco could see a faint light in the dark, raining Katina landscape.

"Fox!" Falco said. "I see something!"

Fox could see the light. He lowered the _Arwing II _over the ground to get a better look at the approaching light. He hovered in wait while operating his search lights from the _Arwing _II. After another brief minute, he could see the speed bike. He also saw Axios and Krystal on top of the bike as they stopped in front of the hovering fighter.

"There they are!" Fox said.

Axios eased off the throttle and brought the bike to a stationary hover. He smiled at the sight of Fox and Falco both hovering around him. Krystal also smiled at the sight of Fox returning to her. Axios and Krystal were happy to finally be rescued.

After a brief moment of enjoying the scene, Fox landed the _Awring II_ and Falco landed the _Skyclaw_. They dismounted their fighters and both quickly approached Axios and Krystal. Axios hooped off the speeder and wrapped Krystal's arm around the back of his neck. He helped her onto her feet as the two walked towards Fox and Falco. Fox did not waste any time with the moment. He quickly came up to Krystal and the two of them embraced on the spot. Axios smiled and slowly stepped away as tears swelled up in each of Fox and Krystal's faces as they held each other. Fox opened his eyes and looked at Axios smiling at the two of them.

"Thank you…" Fox said.

Axios nodded his head and smiled at the happy couple. Falco came up behind Axios and gave him a large pat on the back. Falco was overjoyed to see Axios alive and well.

"Well well…" Falco said. "Clearly you've got some luck on your side pal."

Axios smirked at Falco.

"In my view," he said, "there's no such thing as luck. Only skill."

"Ha ha… Sure thing pal." Falco said.

Falco and Axios simply watched and smiled at the sight of Fox and Krystal together. Falco tapped Axios's shoulder and motioned him to follow. Axios turned and followed Falco back towards the _Skyclaw_. Leaving Fox and Krystal to themselves, Falco and Axios both entered the _Skyclaw_.

Fox did not want to let go of Krystal, not after leaving her on Katina. Both of their tears were masked by the rain. They wanted to stay there in each other's arms.

"I thought I lost you." Fox said. "I… I thought-"

"I know." Krystal said. "For a moment, I thought I lost you forever."

The two gently pulled their heads back to gaze into each other's eyes.

"You promised that we'd always be together." Krystal said.

"And I meant it." Fox said. "That's why I came back for you. I couldn't just leave without coming back to look for you."

Fox gently brought his face closer to Krystal's while gently placing his hands upon her cheek.

"Krystal," he said, "I don't ever want to lose you. Of all things I've already lost in my life, I don't ever want to lose you. If I did, I don't think I-"

Krystal did not want to hear him finish. She wrapped her arms around Fox's neck and pressed her lips upon his. Fox wrapped his arms around her and held her close while pressing his lips upon hers. The two did not want to move. They wished they could stay there forever as the moment was too comforting for them both.

Axios and Falco were both silently watching from within the _Skyclaw_. Axios lowered his head and smiled, and then faced Falco.

"Hey," Axios said. "I think we should give them some time."

Falco lowered his head and smirked at Fox.

"Heh…" Falco said. "Yea, let's get out of here."

After a brief moment, the _Skyclaw_ reignited its engines and took off into the air. Fox and Krystal slowly pulled their heads away from each other and smiled upon the other.

"I love you…" Krystal said.

"I love you too…" Fox said. "Let's get you out of here."

Since Krystal still could not properly walk, Fox carried her in his arms back to the _Arwing II_.

"I got you." Fox said.

The couple were about to start climbing into their fighter when they received a call from Falco.

"Uh… Fox?" Falco said. "We might want to get moving!"

"Falco, what's wrong?" Fox asked.

Immediately after asking his question, Fox looked up in the sky and saw a large black figure emerging through the storming clouds. The _Void_ had never left Katina, and the Black Suns had returned. Fox placed Krystal behind his seat and immediately started the engines.

"Fox!" Krystal said.

"I know I know!" Fox replied.

Fox lifted the _Arwing II_ into the sky and quickly joined the _Skyclaw_. As the two ships started their climb into the clouds, they received a transmission. Fox and Falco both noticed a flashing light on their consoles and were both confused.

"Fox?" Falco asked. "Who's contacting us?"

"I don't know." Fox responded.

Immediately following his response, the two ships were fired upon by three unknown air craft. They saw two black ships dart right past them and then disappear in the night sky of Katina. Axios realized what was going on, and reached for the communicator within the _Skyclaw_.

"Fox," Axios said. "Answer your communicator."

Fox slowly reached for his communicator but was harassed by more laser fire. He looked left and right but could not see anything. He grew more and more impatient as his ship was being toyed with. To relieve him of his distress, Krystal reached over the seat and placed her hand on his shoulder. Fox took a deep breath and activated his communicator.

"This is Captain Fox McCloud." Fox said. "Who am I speaking with?"

The team heard a low tone voice over the other end of the communicator. Axios recognized it instantly, and his anger started to set in.

"Fox McCloud…" One said. "I believe you and I need to talk."

"Who is this?" Fox asked.

"Fox…" Axios said. "It's One. The leader of the Black suns."

"Your Friend Two would be correct." One said. "Considering how quickly I can have Three, Four, and Five shoot down your fighters, I suggest you should listen to what I have to say. The rules of engagement are in your favor, since you have not fired upon us just yet."

Fox looked to his side and noticed three black fighters flying circles around the _Arwing II_ and the _Skyclaw_. He knew that they were outnumbered, and perhaps out matched even with their ship upgrades. Fox looked over his shoulder into the eyes of Krystal. He was enchanted for a moment as her eyes stole his heart away, but Krystal closed them and slowly lowered her head. She looked back up to Fox and nodded her head. Fox looked to the side and noticed Falco and Axios both looking at him with grim looks on their faces. The two of them nodded their heads to Fox giving Fox the permission to speak to One. Fox took a deep breath and looked forward to focus on the situation at hand.

"Well…" Fox said. "I'm listening…"


	15. The Lesser of Two Evils

_Hello Star Fox fans! With finals now done, I have more time to write! (thank god...) Here I am with my next installment in the Black Sun story. Please leave some reviews if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the Chapter! _

15. The Lesser of Two Evils

~One was standing in the bridge of the _Void_ looking out at the two Arwings flying within the sky. He had crewmen behind him ready and waiting to fire upon the Star Fox team. Out within the air, Fox, Falco, Krystal, and Axios were all as tense as can be. They were being circled by the _Executioner_, _Night Hawk_, and _Black Mist_. The fact that they were now the ones at mercy of the Black Suns put a lot of doubt into the team.

Aboard the _Skyclaw_, Falco and Axios were both keeping their eyes on the fighters circling them. Axios kept constant watch on the _Night Hawk_, and Falco kept constant eyes on the _Executioner_. Aboard the _Awring II_, Krystal kept constant watch on the _Black Mist_ and Fox simply had his head down. They were still talking with One while they were flying in the air.

"All right then," Fox said, "what do you want?"

"For starters," One said, "I believe that you and I can assist each other here."

"With what exactly?" Falco interrupted.

Immediately following upon his words, Five flew right past the _Skyclaw_ and harassed it with laser fire. Falco had to perform a barrel roll to avoid taking damage. As Five flew away, he contacted Falco over the communicator.

"You do not speak, unless spoken to." Five said.

"Falco," Fox said, "Let me handle this."

Falco looked over back at the _Arwing II_ and then silenced himself. He grew more and more irritated as he was at the mercy of the Black Suns. Axios reached over the seat and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Take it easy." Axios said. "We'll be fine."

"We better…" Falco mumbled. "These jokers fire upon me again then I'll make their day as horrible as I can."

After calming Falco, Fox's attention returned to the task at hand.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Fox asked to One.

"I mean, I propose an exchange. You have something that I require, and I have something that you require." One said.

"What do you have that we could personally want?"

"Does the name, Bill Grey mean anything to you?"

The team was silent. They could not believe what they had just heard. Fox's eyes widened at the thought of Bill being captured, but he couldn't believe that now, of all times, he would have been captured by the Black Suns. Fox started to tense even more than before, and Krystal could sense the struggle within his mind to properly grasp the situation.

"Where is he?" Fox asked.

Shortly after his question, a hologram of Bill appeared on the consoles of the _Arwing II_ and the _Skyclaw_. Bill was strapped to a chair and was hunched over. The team could barely see his face and they noticed that bill was beaten badly. Although he was alive, it appeared that Bill had no strength within him to keep living.

"Your friend, Bill, and his soldier pilots have caused quite a bit of trouble with our operations within this sector." One said. "Although my men wish him to be executed, I do believe that as a soldier, he should have a warrior's death. I would rather have the pleasure of shooting him down while he was trying to kill me in air combat rather than executing him in cold blood. It would seem that now he can keep his life for a while longer, but only if you cooperate."

Fox gripped his flight control even more tightly as his anger started to build within him. He could not stand the sight of Bill being helpless as he was, and he wanted to immediately turn his ship and attack the Black Sun's forces.

"What do you want…?" Fox asked.

"My request is simple." One said. "I will give Bill to you, if in exchange you surrender yourself to me."

The team was shocked to hear One's request. Given everything that has happened up to this point, there was no way that the team would allow Fox to surrender himself.

"Fox!" Falco called out. "Don't you even think about it!"

"Fox," Axios said, "You can't trust One! He'll kill you both!"

The ultimate source of doubt in Fox's mind came when Krystal reached around the chair and wrapped her arms around Fox.

"I don't even want to hear you think about giving yourself up." Krystal said. "I don't want to hear the thought enter your mind, don't even think about it!"

The issue for Krystal was that Fox was in fact thinking about it. She could hear his thoughts and they were not making her feel any better. Fox had his eyes closed and his head lowered. He could only think about Bill's safety. As his eyes were closed, Fox was reminiscing about the time she and Bill had together while studying at the Cornerian Flight academy. He thought about the time where the Star Fox team aided Bill in fighting off a Venomian invasion during the Lylat Wars here on Katina. The memories would only bring Fox more pain if he knew that Bill was no longer alive to reminisce with him.

Krystal grabbed Fox's shoulders as a tear was brewing in her eyes. She would not allow Fox to surrender his life to the Black Suns. If anything were to happen to Fox, she would never forgive herself knowing that there was something that she could have done to prevent it.

"Fox!" Krystal said. "Please! You can't do this! Don't leave us! Don't leave me!"

Fox was only silent and bared his teeth together tightly. He grew more and angrier at the fact he had to make this choice. Every instinct inside of him wanted to save Bill, but there was another side of him that wanted to escape Katina as quickly as possible.

"Bill…" Fox thought. "Why did it have to be Bill… Why…"

Fox took a deep breath and lifted his head. Krystal slowly leaned back as Fox raised his head and she grew more nervous. As if she was living in a nightmare, the next words that Fox spoke nearly drove her into shock.

"I'll do it." Fox said.

The whole team instantly became alert at Fox's decision. One simply grinned at the _Arwing II_ and let out a small laugh.

"Very good." One said.

"FOX!" Falco screamed. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! You can't seriously believe that moron!"

"No!" Axios yelled. "You can't be serious!"

"I am…" Fox replied.

Quickly after his statement, Krystal reached around the seat and grabbed Fox to hold him close. Tears started to roll down her cheek and she held Fox tightly making sure he couldn't escape. Fox struggled to move as Krystal held him.

"Krystal," Fox said. "Please let go."

"What was the promise you made me?" Krystal said. "What did you promise me after the Anglar Blitz? What words came out of your mouth that made me decide to rejoin Star Fox?"

Fox lowered his head and closed his eyes. A small tear was brewing in his eyes as he thought about the promise he made to Krystal.

"I promised that we would always be together." Fox said.

"And what are you about to do?" Krystal angrily replied. "Are you trying to break my heart a second time?"

"Krystal what do you want me to do?" Fox said angrily. "If I do nothing then they'll kill Bill. If I surrender myself then Bill and the rest of you can get away safely. This is the only way!"

"No it's not! You know that! Don't make me watch you be taken by those monsters. I can't lose you! Please!"

Krystal slowly loosened her grip around Fox as tears continued to break down her cheek.

"I just can't live without you…" she said.

Those last words could be heard over Axios and Falco's communicator as well. Falco simply could only be angry at the situation as he knew he could do nothing. As the situation continued to progress, Axios had a thought within his mind. He wasn't about to let Fox sacrifice himself to the Black Suns when they used one of his friends as a hostage. Axios looked over Falco's shoulder at the controls and studied them for just a moment.

"It's no _Nightshade_," he thought, "but it'll do."

Axios unwrapped the bandages around his hands as they would interfere with his grip on the flight controls. He looked at Falco and noticed he was more focused on the sky ahead of him rather than looking back at Axios.

"This will work." Axios thought. "It has to work. Fox is the leader of the Star Fox team, I'm not. It makes sense to sacrifice a pawn to protect the king."

Axios built up the confidence inside him to continue with his plan.

"There's no going back." he thought. "This is the lesser of two evils."

Axios looked at Fox and pressed his finger on his communicator.

"Hey Fox." Axios said. "I got a gift for you."

That statement from Axios caught Fox's attention. He was confused at what Axios could possibly give him at a time like this. Never the less, Fox slowly veered the _Awring II_ towards the Black Suns' fleet.

"Maybe some other time Axios." Fox said. "Give it to Bill instead."

Axios took that moment to carry out his plan. He reached over Falco's seat and gave Falco a very aggressive punch to the side of his skull. The resulting blow knocked out Falco giving Axios the time he needed to reach over his shoulder and grab the flight controls. Axios piloted the _Skyclaw_ directly to the _Arwing II_ and opened his windshield. He unstrapped Falco from his chair and slowly turned the ship upside down.

"Take him!" Axios screamed at Fox. "Take him and go! I'll save Bill!"

To his surprise, Fox watched as the _Skyclaw _flew directly above his windshield upside down. He noticed a body fall out of the cockpit and saw that Falco was dropped on top of his wind shield.

"Falco!" Fox cried.

Falco's body slowly started to drift to the side. Fox quickly sprung open the cockpit and grabbed Falco to pull him inside. After he secured Falco, he noticed the _Skyclaw_ opening fire upon the Black Suns' fleet. He also noticed that laser fire was targeting the _Skyclaw_ and that there was chaos amongst the Black Suns' fleet.

"Get out of here Fox!" Axios said. "LEAVE NOW!"

"Axios!" Fox cried. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not about to sit here and watch as I see you give up your life so easily! You have the Star Fox team to worry about and Corneria too! Do I also have to remind you about the scared vixen sitting behind you?"

Fox quickly looked over his shoulder and noticed that Krystal was still wiping away tears. Fox realized what he was doing and turned to face forward again. Axios was dodging laser fire while making his way towards the _Void_. He was struggling to keep sense of his direction as he was being engaged by Five, Four, and Three as well as the entire fleet.

"Get out of here Fox!" Axios said. "GO!"

"Axios…" Fox said.

"GO GOD DAMMIT!"

Fox could not believe what was happening, but his instincts told him to flee and so he did. The last thing he saw before he decided to leave was the _Skyclaw_ being struck with laser rounds and was on fire. He turned the _Arwing II_ away from the fleet and slammed his feet on the boosters. Fox tried one last time to reach Axios.

"Axios!" Fox said. "Axios! Respond!"

Axios let out one last cry before the communications channel was disrupted. Fox was confused as to what he heard Axios call out.

"CORVOOOOOOO!" Axios cried.

Fox could only hear static coming from Axios's communicator. He grinded his teeth together and looked over his shoulder. The thought then came in that Axios had just sacrificed himself to save the team, but those thought were pushed aside when Krystal placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be ok." she said. "I know he will."

Fox darted into Katina orbit where the hyper pods were still floating. As soon as he docked his ship in the hyper pod, he quickly punched in the coordinates for Corneria. After a few brief seconds, the hyper pod darted into hyper space.

With the _Arwing II_ now on a safe path towards Corneria, there was time to rest and recover from the situation on Katina. Fox slammed his fist on his console as his anger took the best of him.

"Axios!" Fox yelled. "You blatant fool! This wasn't your choice to make!"

Krystal reached over and placed her arms around Fox's shoulders again attempting to calm him. She could only hold him as her tears slowly started to recede.

"Fox…" she said. "Please…"

Even though he was in enraged, her touch felt as soothing as it had always been. Fox could not shake the thoughts of Bill and Axios out of his head, but Krystal's arms around him slowly started to put his mind into a state of ease.

"Bill…" Fox said. "Axios…"

"We'll save them." Krystal said. "We'll find a way to save them. I know we will. We have to warn Peppy about the fleet, and how close they are to Corneria."

Fox took a deep breath and relaxed himself in the cockpit of his fighter. He leaned back against is seat and had his eyes closed. He immersed himself in his own thoughts trying to decide what to do next.

"I managed to recover Krystal," he thought, "but I lost Axios and the _Skyclaw_. Worse, I know One has Bill, and will likely hold Axios prisoner too if he survives his attack."

Fox leaned forward again and gripped his flight controls. He opened his eyes and let out another deep breath.

"We'll talk to Peppy." he thought. "He'll come up with the proper course of action. Odds are we'll take on the Black Suns at Fortuna, then move to that base they have on Venom. Lester better not have been lying to us."

"Do you really think that we're ready to head to Fortuna?" Krystal asked.

Fox's eyes widened as he realized that Krystal was listening in on his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder to face her and he noticed her tears were all gone. The sight of her face soothed Fox and allowed him to think more clearly.

"If we launch our strike on Fortuna," Fox said, "it should draw the Black Suns away from Katina. After we strike on Katina, then we can focus on Venom."

"I know Lester wasn't lying about the Black Suns base on Venom." Krystal said. "I was able to see a few of his memories. There was a large floating base that hovering over Venom's toxic oceans."

"So, Lester was telling the truth."

"It would seem so."

Shortly after Krystal finished her sentence, the _Arwing II_ had exited from its hyperspace jump. To Fox and Krystal's surprise, they noticed a large fleet was mobilizing in the Cornerian orbit. Fox was puzzled at what exactly he was looking at. He quickly detached the _Arwing II_ from the hyper pod and flew towards the fleet. As he got closer to the fleet, he noticed that the ships were surrounding a capital ship that was heavily damaged. The capital ship was the _Dromedary_, Commander Toran's flagship for the 1st Engagement Fleet. It had multiple hull breaches, two of its four engines were destroyed, its shield generator was destroyed, and the main defense turrets were all destroyed minus three of them.

"What happened here?" Krystal asked.

"I don't know." Fox said.

Fox pressed down on his communicator and attempted to contact the nearby cruisers for an explanation.

"This is Captain Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team. Does anyone read?" Fox said.

A hologram of a raccoon appeared on Fox's console.

"Captain McCloud!" responded a voice. "This is Roger Beat, commander of the _Channel_, class two destroyer of the 1st Engagement Fleet."

"Captain, what happened here?" Fox asked.

"There was an attempted coupe to undermine Commander Toran's command." Beat responded. "One of his lieutenants, lieutenant Veers, commander of the _Providence_ destroyer, led an all-out assault on Toran's flagship."

"What?! What's Toran's condition?"

"He's alive, but barely. He's currently being transported down to Corneria General Care for emergency treatment. As of right now, we tracked Veer's movements to the Fortuna system. General Hare has ordered a retaliatory strike against the lieutenant."

"That's where the Black Suns are!" Krystal said.

Fox realized the truth. Veers was the mole in the military that Peppy was talking about. He supplied the Black Suns with their ship modifications, and he carried out an attempt on Toran's life.

"Beat," Fox said, "where is the general?"

"He's actually looking for you." Beat said. "You are to report to Corneria HQ immediately. I heard the rest of your team is waiting for you there."

"Ok, thanks."

Fox put the _Arwing II_ into a descent through the Cornerian atmosphere. As he was lowering his craft, Krystal and he both heard noises from behind them. As they turned to look, they had completely forgotten about the fact that Falco was actually sleeping in the back of the cockpit.

"Should we wake him?" Krystal asked.

"I got an Idea." Fox said. "Hold on"

As Fox continued his descent, he put the _Arwing II_ into a barrel roll. The resulting force of the roll caused Falco to fall upwards on top of the cockpit and then fall back down again to the floor. As always, Falco was upset to be woken abruptly.

"Fox," Falco said, "one of these days I'm going to knock your block off. I'm not telling you when, just know it's going to happen."

Falco quickly realized that he wasn't in the _Skyclaw_. He looked around and noticed Krystal right in front of him and the fact that they were over Corneria. He was confused as to what had happened. Last time he was awake, he was flying alongside Fox over the Katina landscape.

"Wait a minute," he said, "where's my ship? Where's Axios? Why are we back in Corneria? What is going here?"

"I'll fill you in with the details later." Fox said. "Right now we have bigger problems."

"Why is the military in such a rush? There a problem here?"

"Falco," Krystal said, "Lieutenant Veers, one of Commander Toran's men, turned on him. The _Dromedary_ has received major damage, and Peppy is launching a counter offensive by sending our fleets to Fortuna."

"What happened to Axios and Bill? And my _Skyclaw_?"

Fox and Krystal were both silent. They could only worry about Axios and Bill. However, they never lost hope. They could feel that he was still alive, and that was all they needed. Fox was now traversing over the Cornerian landscape. He was quickly approaching the airstrip and noticed a surplus of military fighters patrolling the area.

"We're almost at the air strip." Fox said.

"Slippy and Amanda must be worried sick." Krystal said.

"Peppy's probably worried too. I couldn't imagine anything else gramps would be more concerned about." Falco said.

Fox found the _Great Fox_ docked in the airstrip and approached the hangar bay. He docked the _Awring II_ into one of the ship clamps and found Slippy, Amanda, Katt, and ROB waiting for them. Fox could tell that Slippy was going to give him a rough welcome considering Slippy had an angry look on his face. As soon as Fox, Krystal, and Falco dismounted the fighter, Slippy, Amanda, and ROB quickly joined them.

"Where have you guys been?!" Slippy asked. "You had us worried sick! The Engagement Fleet was attacked, and we weren't at full strength to assist them!"

Fox was silent. He scratched the back of his head to come up with a proper response.

"Slippy," Fox said, "we went on a rescue mission to bring back Krystal and Axios. While we managed to bring back Krystal, Axios fell behind to hold off the enemy."

Slippy was both joyful, and disheartened to hear the news.

"So," Amanda said, "is Axios… dead?"

"No." Krystal said. "He's alive."

Slippy looked around Fox and noticed Krystal limping to join them.

"Krystal!" Slippy cheered. "You're ok!"

Krystal smiled at Slippy. She slowly walked up to Fox and took hold of his shoulder to lean on. Fox held her close to keep her balanced as the two continued to chat with the toads.

"There's a lot going on right now." Fox said. "We're heading out to Fortuna. After we're done with the Black Suns there, then we'll be heading towards Venom."

"Oh yea!" Falco said as he slammed his fists together. "Finally! Some action. Speaking of which…."

Falco turned to Fox and Krystal.

"What happened to my ship?!" Falco asked.

"Axios knocked you out and took control of it to allow us to escape." Fox said. "Basically, your ship is probably destroyed."

"OH COME ON!"

"Look on the bright side," Katt said, "At least now you can take his ship for a test drive."

Falco turned and looked at the docked _Nightshade_.

"I'm going to do a lot more than that." Falco said.

"Incoming transmission." ROB said. "From General Hare."

Fox pushed a button on his wrist communicator and a small hologram of Peppy appeared. Peppy was aboard his main flagship in Corneria orbit.

"Fox!" Peppy said. "For god's sake, you pick a great time to return to us!"

"We went on a rescue op to bring back Krystal and Axios." Fox said. "We managed to bring back Krystal, but Axios couldn't make it."

"Well… I'm sure he'll find a way to manage. We can still track him with the locater tied to his ankle. Thanks to his move, we can track the Black Suns fleet. It turns out he's still alive, and that he's being moved to Fortuna. This might be your chance to say thank you for saving you."

Fox and the rest of the team were overjoyed to hear he was alive.

"I'm sending the rest of the 1st Engagement Fleet to Fortuna to get a little payback." Peppy said. "I'll need the Star Fox team to be ready. Are you?"

Fox looked amongst the rest of his team.

"We're ready." Fox said.

"And one more thing…" Peppy said.

After a brief moment, the hologram of peppy disappeared and Commander Toran appeared. He was in a wheelchair and was in Corneria General Care.

"Captain McCloud…" Toran said.

"Commander." Fox responded.

"I know we haven't seen eye to eye, and I'm certain that your crew does not think highly of me either. But as a favor to me, I only ask one thing of you."

"What might that be?"

Toran struggled and slowly stood from his wheel chair. He slowly raised his hand and saluted Fox and gave him a look of solemn respect.

"Destroy the Black Suns, and all of their assets." Toran said. "And apologize to Axios for me. He deserves respect for his aiding in our defense."

Fox smiled and saluted the commander.

"Yes sir." Fox said.

The hologram of Toran disappeared and Peppy returned.

"The fleet is ready Fox." Peppy said. "Are you?"

The rest of the team smiled at Fox.

"Let's do this."


	16. Brothers to the Cause

_Hello again Star Fox fans! I just want to say Happy Holidays! And I also want to give out a big thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my story! You guys are the greatest. On the same note, the holidays will set me back a few days since I'd like to take the time to be with family. However, that doesn't mean I can't give you all my holiday gift of another chapter!_

_Here is the next installment in the series, so please please leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

16. Brothers to the Cause

~His vision was blurry, and he was just starting to open his eyes. His hearing was also fuzzy as he couldn't make out the words that were being heard from the speakers in front of him. Axios was hanging from his arms that were tied to a chain. He was suspended a few feet in the air and was in a dark lit room with no windows. He slowly raised his head to face forward and noticed two figures conversing in front of him. He noticed one of the figures had black robes, and its head was hooded. After a brief minute, both figures were approaching him with the hooded figure in front of the other. After his vision cleared, he noticed Veers and One were the two approaching him.

"Why don't we just attack right now?" Veers asked. "I nearly destroyed the _Dromedary_ and the 1st Engagement Fleet is in complete disarray."

"It is because you failed to COMPLETELY destroy the _Dromedary_. Toran survived your little coupe attempt." One said. "You've disappointed me Veers."

To Veers surprise, One quickly turned to Veers and grabbed his throat. One tightened his grip around Veers wind pipe and lowered Veers to his knees.

"M-Master…" Veers choked. "Please!"

"You have failed me." One said. "And failure, especially at this stage in our plans, is intolerable."

One lifted Veers into the air with his mechanical limb.

"I will entrust Four with the _Shroud_." One said. "You services are no longer required."

One tightened his grip suddenly and snapped Veers' neck. The lieutenant simply hung lifeless from One's grip, and One simply dropped his corpse on the ground in front of Axios.

"This is the price we pay for betrayal." One said. "It is also the price we pay for living in this accursed realm for as long as life permits."

Axios simply remained silent and stared at One.

"But he was simply a pawn," One said, "a mere tool that could be cast aside when the time came. However, you were more than a pawn. More than a rook, a knight, a bishop, and perhaps was as important as the queen."

One approached Axios and grabbed his throat. He pulled Axios in close enough so that the two were staring each other in the face. Both of them giving each other looks of hate, and neither of them broke eye contact.

"You were my brother!" One said. "You and I were supposed to rule the coming empire as brothers! And you threw it all away for what; the well-being of a lowly, incompetent, and corrupt military republic?"

One's anger started to take the best of him. He released Axios' throat and started delivering a series of punches into Axios's abdomen and chest. The resulting blows caused Axios to gradually swing back and forth from being suspended in chains.

"TELL ME!" One demanded as he continued to punch Axios. "TELL ME WHY!"

Eventually, One delivered one last mighty punch that actually broke the chain from the ceiling causing Axios to fly backwards. He fell upon the floor and coughed out a small amount of blood. He could feel his abdomen, chest, and his ribs in tremendous amounts of pain, and he curled up on the floor trying to mend his beating. One walked over to him and squatted down to his level.

"You," One said, "my own little brother; you betrayed me."

One grabbed Axios's collar and pulled him off the ground back onto his feet. One delivered another mighty punch that knocked Axios into the back wall of his cell and even caused a small impact crater. Axios fell forward onto the floor and was struggling to move a single limb. Despite the pain, Axios slowly pressed his hands onto the ground and slowly lifted himself onto his feet. He struggled to stand up straight as he was facing One.

"Tell me why brother…" One said.

Axios was panting from the pain, and he had his arms around is rib cage.

"It… is simple…" Axios responded. "I didn't mind forsaking my name to a number. I also didn't mind that the Black Suns started to target corrupt military officials either."

Axios took a moment to stand up tall and proper and then continued.

"But," Axios said, "When you started to have us conduct raids on helpless settlements, attack a Cornerian fleet, nearly end my life, and take Luna from me; I didn't see a reason to continue to fly by your side."

One started to grow more and more furious. He charged Axios and attempted to punch Axios square in the face. Axios quickly ducked underneath the blow and One's arm made a hole in the wall. Axios quickly went underneath One's arm and grabbed the chain that fell from the ceiling. One struggled to pull free from the wall which gave Axios the time he needed. Axios swung the chain around One's chest and started to wrap it around One's arms. He delivered a kick to one of One's legs which caused One todrop to his knees. Axios wrapped the chain around One's neck and started to tighten it in an attempt to strangle One.

"Think about what you've done!" Axios exclaimed as he was strangling One. "You! My big brother! Was supposed to be my role model! I looked up to you! And now you've become a monster!"

Axios grabbed One's arm and pulled it out of the wall. He grabbed the other arm and threw One over his shoulder onto the ground. One tried to loosen the chain from his neck as he was struggling for air. Axios did not let up his force. He grabbed the chain and lifted One to his feet. He kicked him forward and grabbed the chain to pull him down to the ground by snapping the chain backwards pulling One's neck. After wards, Axios pulled the chain with all of his might and slammed One into a wall leaving another impact crater.

Axios walked over to One and squatted down to his level.

"Corvo…" Axios said. "I loved you. I trusted you, and I would have given my life for you. But now you've become a monster, and I can't follow a monster."

Axios removed the chain from One's neck. He could tell One was alive since he was barely breathing. He pulled One away from the wall and wrapped the chain around his arms and legs. He made sure that One could not move a limb before he would leave the room.

"Axios…" One said.

"Don't speak." Axios replied. "Save your breath. Given the massive trauma you've just received on your neck, I don't think talking will be a good idea."

"Axios… you've grown stronger since the last time we fought. It's a shame that it had to be like this."

"You're right. It is a shame."

Axios tightened the chain and One could not move a limb. Axios stood up and started to walk away from One.

"Axios!" One called out. "Don't think you can just walk away from me!"

"Watch me." Axios replied.

However, One wouldn't allow it. Although Axios was able to deliver a massive beating, One was not the average opponent. After a brief moment, one of One's eyes started to glow hot red, and his anger increased. One actually broke free from his chains and even shattered the them into multiple pieces. His robe had been thrown off and his entire apparatus was showing. Axios was caught off guard by the sudden display of strength. He turned and watch in horror as One stood from the ground.

"Corvo…" Axios said. "What have you done to yourself…?"

One stood from the ground showing his true form. His two arms were actually mechanical, and half of his chest was mechanical as well. One was half fox, and half robot; a cyborg at its finest. The brown furred fox stood in front of his silver brother gazing upon him.

"I made myself perfect." One said.

One quickly charged Axios and grabbed him by the collar. He held him up over the ground and looked into his eyes. Axios could not believe the sight.

"When I'm done with the Cornerian military," One said, "you will burn along with the rest of them."

"Corvo…" Axios said as he was holding onto One's mechanical arm. "Mother and father would be ashamed."

One turned and, with using only one arm, threw Axios into a wall as if though he was a simple baseball. Axios left another crater into the wall and fell onto the ground. One walked over to his robes and placed them back on. He looked down unto the struggling Axios with a disgusted look.

"That name…" One said. "The owner of that name is dead. I am One, the ruler of the coming empire. You will be buried with the rest in the ruins of Old Lylat."

One turned and exited the cell locking the door behind him. A group of guards came in to take Veer's corpse. Axios slowly stood from the ground and leaned back against the wall. He lowered his head and held his arm over his rib cage. He was certain that he cracked a rib since the pain was extensive; it was not so severe however that he couldn't defend himself if the need arose. He slowly sat down against the wall and took a deep breath.

"Corvo…" Axios said. "What happened to you…?"

One continued to walk down that hall away from the brig. He met up with Three, four, and Five as they were waiting for him in the bridge hall way.

"Did you kill him?" Five asked.

"No." One replied.

"But he betrayed us." Three said. "By rights, he should be dead by now."

"I decided to spare his life." One said. "My reasons are my own, and he'll die at the appropriate time. Right now we have a more pressing matter to be aware of. I want you three to get to your ships. The Cornerian military is launching a campaign towards Fortuna. The _Shroud_ is in danger, and we must protect it until it becomes operational. "

"Is the Star Fox team joining the Cornerian fleet?" Four asked.

"Yes. I want you three to be ready."

"They won't present us with a challenge. We'll burn them to shreds." Three said.

"Do not underestimate them. They learn from their mistakes. It is likely they will be coming more prepared than last time."

One continued past them and entered the _Void's_ bridge. He looked out through the window staring down at the lush planet below. Three, four, and Five joined him. The Black Suns fleet was already in orbit over Fortuna, and they were circling a large T-shaped object floating within the middle of their fleet.

"Should the battle come to fall out of our favor," One said, "we'll evacuate the _Shroud_ to Venom. There it will stay, until called for."

One turned and faced Three, four, and Five.

"Get to your fighters," he said, "they'll be here soon."

Three, Four, and Five nodded their heads and left the bridge for the hangar. One continued to look out through the window at the _Shroud_. It was in its final stages of construction and was nearly operational.

"Soon…" One said. "Soon this system will burn, and I will rebuild the new empire from the ashes."

On the other side of the Lylat system, the _Great Fox_ joined the 1st Engagement Fleet in the Cornerian orbit. The entire fleet, led by Peppy's flagship, was plotting a course to Fortuna.

"All ships," Peppy said, "this is General Hare. Not too long ago, there was an attempted coupe lead by former lieutenant Veers. Needless to say, I think it's time to retaliate."

Aboard the _Great Fox_, the Star Fox team was listening in on Peppy's speech. Fox and Krystal were in the bridge, Slippy, ROB, and Amanda were working on rebuilding another _Skyclaw_ for Falco, and Falco and Katt were installing Slippy's upgrades on to the _Cat's Paw_.

"Looks like gramps means business…" Falco said.

"Hey, think of the pay we're going to get for this." Katt said. "You'll get to live like a king for the rest of your life."

"Yea sure what ever. I hope those toads finish up my _Skyclaw_ before the fight."

"What was wrong with the _Nightshade_?"

"Those controls were too damn complicated, and Axios didn't leave a manual. Besides, me and my _Skyclaw_ are more than enough for those jokers."

"Hmph, figures."

The two looked up at a loud speaker over the hanger as Peppy continued.

"Make no mistake," Peppy said, "the enemy we're about to face are the notorious Black Suns. I hope you all remember the damage they inflicted upon us all when they took the lives of the men and women that served within the 7th Anchorage Fleet."

Slippy was welding a set of armor to the chassis frame of the _Skyclaw_. He lifted his welding mask and looked over at ROB and Amanda.

"We gotta make this count." Slippy said. "There's no coming back from this attack."

"Which is why we need our team at full strength." Amanda said. "Although I hope Falco makes sure to stay in line."

"Considering the recent circumstances," ROB said, "there is a large probability that Falco will indulge himself within the destruction of the upcoming battle."

"ROB," Slippy said, "get the hangar's mechanical arms to help us out with this."

After a brief moment, a set of mechanical arms lowered to the unfinished _Skyclaw_ and started to work on the ship. As the trio worked on the unfinished _Skyclaw_, Peppy continued.

"Let their sacrifice not be in vein." Peppy said. "Today, we take the fight to the enemy. Today, we launch our assault on the Black Suns, and we will not stop until we eliminate all of their assets."

Still on nerve from the encounter on Katina, Fox was in the bridge with his eyes closed, arms crossed, and head lowered. He was reflecting on the events that have lead up to this point, and the people he still has to rescue.

"Bill," he thought, "Axios, I hope they're all right."

Fox lifted his head when he felt a hand take his shoulder and a familiar aroma surround him.

"They're all right." Krystal said. "I know they are."

Fox looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of Krystal smiling at him. He turned to her and took her hands and Krystal gazed into his eyes. However, her smile soon faded as she saw the sight of Fox's smile quickly disappear.

"What's wrong?" Krystal asked.

"Krystal…" Fox said. "There's nothing more than I want in this life than to be with you. I could never bear the thought of losing you, but I want you to know. If anything should happen, just know that I-"

Krystal placed a finger on Fox's lips to silence him.

"Don't think like that." she said. "You, me, and the rest of the team will make it through this no problem. As long as we're together like we are now, we'll be ok."

Fox's heart was once again filled with hope. Krystal always knew how to cheer him up, and she would never allow Fox to forget his promise.

"Ok," Fox said, "we're doing this together."

Krystal smiled at him and gently wrapped her arms around his neck. She gently pulled her face into his and pressed a kiss upon his lips. Fox held her close and pressed his lips upon hers. As the two were enjoying their moment in the bridge, Peppy continued his speech.

"Let it be known in the history of the Cornerian military," Peppy said, "that the men and women of the 1st Engagement Fleet went into the black depths of hell, and they returned victorious from conquering the devils inside. We will strike hard and fast, and bring about the end of threat of the Black Suns!"

The team could hear a cheer over their radios as the soldiers of the 1st Engagement Fleet were more than rallied to the cause. Peppy raised his arm towards the void of space.

"All ships!" Peppy called out. "Initiate hyperspace jumps towards Fortuna!"

Following his command, each ship within the 1st Engagement Fleet activated their hyper drives. One by one they entered their hyperspace jumps towards Fortuna. After a brief minute, the _Great Fox_ activated its hyper drive, and the ship entered its hyperspace jump towards Fortuna.

Still alone in the dark, Axios was sitting up against the wall of his cell. His thoughts ran back and forth between One's drastic change in character, and the thought of escaping. He looked around the cell and noticed that there were no windows, and the only door in or out was locked. He got up and approached the door to examine it.

"Locked," Axios thought, "and from the outside too."

Axios took a step back and tried multiple times to break the door down with a thrust kick. However, he was met with no success. After a brief moment, he heard a banging from the other side of the door.

"Hey!" shouted a guard. "Keep quiet in there!"

As if a light bulb went off in Axios's head, he devised a plan for his escape. He went back towards the door and continued attempting to break it down. On the other side of the door was a bull dog guard with a rifle in his hands. He was growing more and more irritated at the banging from the inside of the door. He walked towards the door and banged on it with the butt end of his rifle.

"HEY!" the guard shouted. "What part of shut up don't you understand?!"

Axios ignored his shouting and continued to kick away at the door. The guard on the outside was getting more and more irritated and loaded his rifle.

"I swear to god!" he called out. "I'll shoot you through the door if I have to!"

"Go ahead and try!" Axios called out. "Won't stop me!"

Sticking to his words, the guard aimed at the door and opened fire upon it. Axios dove to the side as bullets started to pierce through the door. He waited in the corner for the fire to stop. When the guard ran out of bullets, Axios ran back in front of the door and lied down on the floor playing dead. The guard was standing outside and was trying to listen on what was happening on the inside of the cell. After a brief minute of hearing nothing but silence, the guard reached for his keys. He opened the cell door and noticed Axios lying down on the ground.

"Well," the guard said, "guess we won't need you anymore."

The guard walked over to Axios and placed his hand on Axios's shoulder. Axios took this opportunity to grab the guard's arm, kick his legs out from the ground, and put the guard in an arm bar. As he pulled against the guards arm, he took a moment to deliver a kick to the guards head. Axios quickly got up and came behind the guard. He grabbed the guard's neck and put him in a choke hold.

"By the way…" Axios said. "You missed."

Axios snapped the guard's neck and laid his corpse on the ground. He grabbed his rifle, but noticed that it was empty and the guard did not have any more ammunition. Axios grabbed the guard's keys and slowly peeked outside of the door.

"Corvo," Axios thought, "where did you go wrong…?."

Axios snuck out of his cell and proceeded to exit the brig. However, he noticed that there was another locked cell door. The thought quickly returned to him why he nearly sacrificed himself to be captured in the first place.

"Fox's friend!" Axios thought. "Bill!"

Axios quickly unlocked the cell door and noticed Bill tied to a chair and hunched over. He went around behind Bill to undo his restraints. As he set Bill free, Bill fell over onto the floor completely lifeless.

"Hey," Axios said, "uh… Bill! Bill wake up! I'm a friend of Fox, wake up!"

All of a sudden, Bill's eyes opened wide and he lunged out at Axios. Bill managed to grab Axios collar but Axios broke his grab. Bill and Axios quickly exchanged fists to the face and they both fell backwards. After a brief moment, they both sat up staring at each other with mixed looks of confusion and hate.

"Who are you?" Bill asked.

"My name is Axios." Axios said. "I'm a friend of Fox McCloud. I boarded this ship trying to find you. Aren't you Bill Grey?"

"Yea that's me." Bill responded. "You said you were a friend of Fox?"

"That's right. I've been working with the Star Fox team to track and hunt down the Black Suns."

"Oh yea, we were sent to do the same thing. We were told to investigate an outpost on Katina when the Black Suns ambushed us. They caught us completely off guard."

"That's how they attack. I would know, I used to be one of them."

"Whoa! You used to be what?!"

"It's a long story, but the point is I turned on them. I'm helping Fox bring them down, and that's all that matters. Also, I'm your best chance of making it out of here, but we need to work together."

"Ok so hold on a sec, you're helping Fox?"

"That's right. I virtually cut my ties with the Black Suns."

The two stood from their seated positions and eased their guard.

"All right," Bill said, "I'll roll with ya. But don't cross me, all right?"

"Agreed. "Axios responded.

The two of them quickly exited the cell and approached the exit to the brig. They were ready and waiting to have their revenge and Axios was determined to bring One's scheme to a halt.

"Corvo," Axios thought, "I'm coming for you…"


	17. Lighting Fortuna

_Hello Star Fox fans! I hope you're all enjoying your holiday! I figured I'd take an extra step and try to get you guys a late holiday gift from me. Again, thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story! I really appreciate the feedback and your reviews continue to keep me writing. Now without any more delay, here is the next installment in the series. Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

17. Lighting Fortuna

~One by one the ships of the 1st Engagement Fleet exited their hyperspace jumps into the Fortuna space zone. They started their approach to the planet but noticed that there was no hostile fleet waiting for them. As the final ships came into the space zone, the _Great Fox_ joined the fleet. The Star Fox team was ready and waiting in the bridge of the _Great Fox_ anxiously awaiting battle. However, they were stunned to find no resistance.

"Hey what gives?" Falco asked. "Where're the Black Suns?"

The team was silent. They had no idea what was going on. With Axios gone, they could not anticipate what course of action the Black Suns would have likely taken.

"All ships," Peppy announced over the communicator, "stay alert and remain at battle ready status. Make no mistake, the enemy is out there."

Fox was more on edge than ever. Based on his encounters up to this point in time, it was not likely the Black Suns would leave a trail of information leading towards Fortuna and not have some kind of involvement there.

"ROB," Fox said, "is there anything on the long range scanners?"

"Scanners do not indicate the presence of an enemy fleet." ROB replied. "However, my scanners do pick up the location of Axios's ankle locator."

The team was alert at the news.

"Where is he?" Fox asked.

"According to the scanners," ROB said, "he is five kilometers above us."

The light bulb suddenly flashed on in Fox's head. He sprinted to his communications terminal and broadcasted a message to the entire fleet.

"This is Captain Fox McCloud." he said. "All ships, they're attacking from above!"

Peppy walked over to the window in the bridge of his flagship. He looked up and noticed multiple black ships approaching them from above. The Black Suns fleet was equal in numbers against the Cornerian fleet.

"All ships!" Peppy called out. "Pull up and engage! Take these blasted terrorists down!"

Just as he commanded, all the ships of the 1st Engagement Fleet quickly diverted their path straight upwards to combat the incoming Black Suns. Viewing the scene from the bridge of the _Void_, One was standing next to the windows with his arms crossed. He looked over his shoulder and gave his first command.

"All ships," One said, "open fire."

One by one, the ships of the Black Suns fleet opened fire upon the Cornerian military. Before the Cornerian ships could align themselves to return fire, a frigate of the 1st Engagement Fleet was destroyed from the incoming fire.

"All ships!" Peppy called out. "Return Fire! All fighter squadrons, you are clear to take off! Engage the enemy fleet!"

Within the many hangars aboard the ships of the 1st Engagement Fleet, there were hundreds of personal fighters being launched from their ship locks.

"Yee hawwww!" called out one of the squadron leaders. "All right you heard the general! This is Gold lead, all squadrons engage the targets on sight; time to play the game and bring the pain! Let's put these upgrades to the test. Wooo hooo!"

Thanks to the efforts of Beltino and Slippy, the entire Cornerian fleet was equipped with the upgrades that were reversed engineered from Axios's _Nightshade_. One was still unmoved from the returning fire from the Cornerian fleet. His attention was slightly moved from one of his crew men calling out at him.

"Master!" a crewmen called out, "The enemy has launched fighter squadrons to engage!"

"Launch all of our fighters." One said. "Engage them in ship to ship combat. All destroyers concentrate fire upon their capital ships! Cut their fleet into nothing with the might of the Black Suns!"

Just as he commanded, there were hundreds of small personal fighters being launched from the hangars of the various ships within the Black Suns fleet. The leaders of these fighters were Three, Four, and Five.

"Attack their fighters." Three broadcasted to the squadrons. "Leave none alive."

"Protect the _Shroud_." Four said. "For its might will bring to us the new empire."

"And above all else," Five said, "die like heroes; heroes of New Lylat!"

Preparing themselves for the battle to come, the Star Fox team was rushing to the hangar bay. As they all entered the hangar, the each rushed into their fighters. Due to the aid of the hangar's mechanical arms, Falco's _Skyclaw_ was completed before they would leave the hangar. As everyone strapped themselves into their fighters, Fox took the moment to share his words before they would take off.

"Team," Fox said, "this is it. We go out there and we take the Black Suns down. We're going into the middle of a large fleet skirmish so watch for the enemy frigates."

"Ha! Don't sweat it!" Falco said. "I'll gladly cut their fleet down to size!"

"Not without help you're not." Katt said.

"Regardless," Fox continued, "I want you all to be careful."

"You got it Fox!" Slippy responded.

"Right!" Amanda responded.

"And one more thing." Fox said. "If we run into the Black Suns personal fighters, make sure we use these upgrades. Don't forget about what happened to us in Sector Y. Let's not let it happen again."

"We'll be all right." Krystal responded. "And we'll watch each other's backs. They won't get the jump on us this time."

"All right."

Fox pushed several buttons on his console and signaled ROB to launch the ships.

"Ship locks released." ROB announced. "Launching in 3… 2… 1…"

Within a moment, the six ships were launched into the combat zone. The _Great Fox_ stayed with the main fleet to provide assistance in engaging the enemy fleet. The Star Fox team sped off towards the Black Suns fleet dodging incoming laser fire from the enemy.

"This place is chaos!" Falco exclaimed. "Oh man! I live for this!"

"Don't lose focus!" Amanda called out. "We're in the middle of a skirmish! This isn't the time to be joking around!"

"Hey hey hey! I got it! Don't sweat it all right?"

"We're coming up on the fleet," Slippy said, "jeez look at the size of that mother ship!"

"Axios did mention that the _Void_ was the mother ship for a reason Slip." Fox responded. "Do not engage it directly. Concentrate fire upon the smaller frigates and we'll work our way up!"

"Right!" the team responded.

One by one, the Star Fox team started to target down the first line frigates. As they started their attack runs, they were being harassed by enemy fighters from the rear.

"Team!" Fox called out. "Break off and engage!"

Just as he ordered, the Star Fox tem scattered in multiple directions and engaged the enemy fighters. They were more than well equipped to handle the fighters thanks to their upgrades. As each member soared through space attacking and bringing down the enemy aircraft, the Cornerian fleet was about to destroy their first frigate. Peppy was watching form the bridge of his flagship as the barrage of canon fire rained down upon the frigate.

"Sir! Their shields are down!" called out on of Peppy's crew men.

"Then why are they still in my sight?" Peppy asked.

"Understood sir! Destroyers _Aries_ and _Wanderer_, concentrate fire on the disabled frigate to your two o'clock!"

Within a few moments, the two destroyers fired their main canons at the disabled frigate. Peppy watched as the Black Suns frigate started to explode from within. After a brief moment, the entire frigate was destroyed. The resulting blast wave staggered the small personal fighters that were flying around it. Among them were Falco and Katt.

"Jeez-lo-weez!" Falco exclaimed. "Hey I like big guns and explosions and all, but do you mind keeping it away from my ship!"

"I thought you lived for this?" Katt responded. "Why the sudden change of heart? Are you afraid?"

"Hey, watch yourself pussy cat! This bird isn't afraid of anything!"

Falco pulled the _Skyclaw_ away from the ruined frigate to engage other fighters. Katt followed closely with her upgraded _Cat's Paw_. The two found four fighters flying in a formation and they locked on to the fighter that was in the front.

"All right Katt," Falco said, "how about we play a game? First to down ten bad guys. Loser-"

"Buys the winner dinner?" Katt said with a smile on her face.

"Uh… Yea sure. Dinner sounds good."

Falco and Katt released a charged shot towards the lead fighter. As the charge shot detonate upon the fighter, the resulting explosion caused the other three to be destroyed as well.

"Ha ha, man these guys are the biggest pushovers yet!" Falco exclaimed.

"Remember," Katt said, "I'm holding you to that bet!"

On the other side of the fleet, Slippy and Amanda were attacking a destroyer frigate. The _Bullfrog_ and the _Tadpole_ continued to rain laser rounds upon the destroyer's exterior. Slippy noticed that they were delivering minimal damage as their laser rounds were not sufficient to damage the hull of the ship. To compensate, Slippy started scanning the ship's exterior for any weak points.

"Amanda!" Slippy called out. "I marked a target; it's the ship's shield generator!"

"Thanks Slippy!" Amanda responded.

The two fighters flew to the back of the ship avoiding the chaos of battle around them. As they flew, they saw Cornerian fighters in pursuit of the insurrectionist fighters and vice versa. After a brief moment, they had reached their target and were quickly joined by two squads of Cornerian fighters.

"This is Sergeant Raynor to Star Fox team, we're here to assist!" Raynor said.

"Raynor," Slippy said, "this is Slippy Toad of Star Fox; we marked a target for you. It's the ship's shield generator. Take it down then we can bring this destroyer down with the main fleet."

"Understood!"

Slippy, Amanda, and Raynor's two squads started to open fire upon the shield generator. However, a group of insurrectionist fighters engaged them as they were attacking the ship.

"Slippy!" Amanda called out. "We got company!"

"Ah crud!" Slippy exclaimed. "Raynor, can you buy us some time?"

"I can do more than that." Raynor responded. "All right men, lets buy them some time. Engage those insurrectionist bastards and shoot them down!"

Raynor and his ships broke off their assault from the shield generator to engage the insurrectionists. Slippy and Amanda focused their fire on the shield generator. After a brief minute of barraging it with lasers, the shield generator became ruptured. Amanda and Slippy veered back towards the ship to finish the job.

"You ready?" Slippy asked.

"Let's do it!" Amanda responded.

The two toads charged up their laser rounds and fired away at the shield generator. The resulting impact caused the entire apparatus to be destroyed.

"Peppy!" Slippy called out.

"What is it Slip?" Peppy responded.

"I marked a destroyer for you. Amanda and I brought its shields down. It's up to you!"

"Got it, well done!"

Peppy turned to face his crew.

"You heard the man!" he called out. "That destroyer's shields are down, now finish the job!"

Within a few moments, two of the Cornerian destroyers concentrated fire upon the neutralized enemy ship. After a brief minute, the destroyer was completely destroyed. Similar to Falco's situation, Amanda and Slippy were both shaken by the resulting blast wave from the explosion.

"Whoa!" Slippy called out. "What are those ships packing, nukes?"

"Let's just go help the others." Amanda said.

"Raynor! Raynor this is Slippy are you still there?"

"Commander Toad," a husky said, "this is Private Wall, Sergeant Raynor's fighter was just shot down. The last thing he asked of us is to watch your backs and assist in engaging specific targets. He wanted to tell you one last thing. He said "Give them hell"."

Slippy and Amanda were disheartened at the news. However, they could not let their thoughts get the best of them. They were in the middle skirmish and could not get distracted.

"I understand." Slippy said.

Amanda and Slippy flew off with the rest of Raynor's ships to neutralize more frigates. The course of the battle was in the Cornerian's favor as the Star Fox team aided in destroying the main frigates. Irritated by this reality, One checked in on the progress of the _Shroud_.

"Status?" he said to his crew.

"We have lost thirty percent of the fleet," announced one of his crew men," and our losses are mainly due to Star Fox aiding the Cornerian military!"

"I don't care about our fleet losses right now. What's the status of the _Shroud_?"

"Sir, the _Shroud_ is in its final stages of construction and-"

The crewman was silenced as One approached him and grabbed his throat. One lifted the man over his head and gave him a look of utter anger.

"Is the _Shroud_ operational or not?!" One angrily asked.

"Y-yes master!" the crew man said.

One dropped the crewmen back on to the ground and approached the window. He placed a finger on his ear and spoke into his communicator.

"Three, Four, Five," One said, "The _Shroud _is operational. I want you three to escort it to the firing zone. We'll test it on this Cornerian fleet. When I give you the signal, I also want you to use your modifications. We cannot take any chances with the _Shroud_."

"Understood." Three responded.

"Got it." Four responded.

"Very well." Five responded.

After a brief minute, One saw the _Executioner, Night Hawk_, and _Black Mist_ fly straight past his observation window towards the rear of the fleet. He looked out over the fleet and noticed that one of his frigates was being destroyed. His fleet was talking heavy losses and he grew more and more irritated. As he watched the final explosion from the frigate, he looked closely and he noticed the _Arwing II_ and the _Cloud Runner_ flying away from the destroyed frigate.

"Peppy!" Fox said. "Krystal and I destroyed another frigate."

"We're cutting the enemy down to size," Krystal said, "and it seems like we might win this!"

"Understood." Peppy said. "Continue your assault on the fleet and-"

"General!" a crewman called out. "We are picking up a gravity disturbance from behind the enemy fleet!"

"Hold on Fox." Peppy said. "What do you mean gravity disturbance?"

Immediately after his question, there was a large yellow beam that shot out at the Cornerian fleet. The beam easily cut one of the fleet's capital ships in half and caused the entire ship to be destroyed. The resulting explosion rocked the surrounding frigates and caused Peppy to fall to the side. He caught a rail before he fell over and watched the horror of the destruction in front of him.

"Sir!" a crewman called out. "We just lost the _Pathfinder_!"

"I can see that!" Peppy angrily replied. "Now what the hell was that?!"

"General!" another crewman called out. "I'm picking up another ship joining the fight from behind the enemy fleet!"

"Fox!" Peppy called out.

"We saw it." Fox replied. "Team, form up on my wing."

"What the hell was that thing?" Falco asked.

"I don't know, but that blast was massive!" Slippy said.

"It came from behind the Black Sun's fleet." Amanda said.

"I'm picking it up on radar now." Krystal said. "The size of this thing is massive."

"I don't like this! Not one bit!" Katt said.

After a brief minute, the team could see the horror that was approaching them. It was a ship roughly the size of the entire Black Sun's fleet. The ship was designed in a T-shape fashion, and the exterior of the ship was coated with black armor plating. At the end of the ship was a large canon with incredible fire power. The team noticed that there was a light coming from within the canon, and they instantly knew what was coming.

"Peppy!" Fox said. "Break off the attack! Get out of there now!"

"All hands!" Peppy called out. "Evacuate the sector immediately! All ships full retreat!"

"Sir!" a crewman called out. "We lost control to our ships engines!"

"Communications are down too sir!" another shouted. "We can't contact the nearby ships!"

Before the fleet could react, the massive ship fired its main canon again. The yellow beam shot out at the fleet and impacted a destroyer straight in the front. The destroyer started to explode from within and soon the entire ship was destroyed.

"For god's sake!" Peppy called out in his communicator. "Give me a sit rep! Anybody! NOW!"

He was receiving no response from the rest of his ships. The Cornerian fleet continued to fire upon the Black Suns fleet without proper coordination and communications. None of the ships engines were operating and they could not escape the weapon that was slaughtering them. The Star Fox team was also in complete disarray as their communications were not working either. Fox was looking left and right at his team and they all gestured to him that their radios were out. Soon, reality quickly set in for Fox.

"It's Five!" he thought.

Their communications were being jammed, and Five's jammer was preventing the fleet from controlling their engines. Fox was worried. He did not want to repeat the events that happened in Sector Y. However, he could not afford to let Peppy and his fleet be destroyed. Fox flew away from the Black Suns fleet and the rest of his team followed. He tried to get a better look at the ship that was causing all the trouble. As soon as the ship came into view, three black fighters flew right in the middle of his team. The team scattered to avoid collision and quickly regrouped.

"Here we go again…" Fox thought.

The _Executioner, Black Mist_, and _Night Hawk_ all scattered in multiple directions. Three, four, and Five were looking forward to the challenge that was presented before them.

"It's on now..." Falco thought.

"So this is the Star Fox team…" Three said.

"Ok, we got three of these guys." Slippy thought. "Who's to think we can't get three more."

"Time for a challenge." Four said.

"I won't let them hurt anyone else…" Krystal thought.

"This is for Eight and Six…" Five said.

"Time for some pay back." Amanda thought.

As tensions rose amongst the fighters in battle, One approached a communications terminal in the bridge of the _Void_.

"Relay this message to all ships in the area, both fighters and fleets." One said to his crew.

After a brief moment, a crewman told One he was ready. One placed his hood over his face and his black robes hid the rest of his image. As he started to speak, his words could be heard within the communications of every fighter in the sector, and his image appeared on the holocommunicators on all of the frigates. Peppy grew furious at the sight of One speaking, but he could not control his communications.

"You have just witnessed the harbinger of death before you." One said. "The lives of those dearest to you are now at our mercy. We control the ultimate power in Lylat, and we will use it to cast a shadow over the light that brings hope. The fires that burn for unity and strength will be extinguished and darkness will spread with the rise of our Black Sun. Your families are no longer safe; you're children are no longer safe, and you are no longer safe. You have come across the _Void_, and now you will be caught under its _Shroud_. We are the Black Suns, and we will cast our _Shroud_ over Lylat."

One turned away from the communicator as his eye started to glow red. He turned back towards the communicator and shouted his last words. His voice was distorted from his mechanical implants in such a fashion that his tone seemed to be demonic.

"ABANDON ALL HOPE! YOUR END… HAS… COME…"


	18. Turning the Tides

_Hello Star Fox fans! Another day and another chapter for you all. Hope you're enjoying the lovely winter and holiday and I just want to say HAPPY NEW YEARS! Leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

18. Turning the Tides

~The _Shroud_ struck fear and doubt into the hearts of the soldiers within the Cornerian fleet. The Black Suns had quickly turned the tide of battle into their favor, and to make matters worse; Five was trapping the fleet from escaping. The Star Fox team was put into a desperate situation, and the lives of the people in the fleet depended on them. The team was engaging Three, four, and Five within the chaos of the fleet skirmish. They knew that Five was the priority target as he prevented the fleet from communicating with each other. However, he was being well protected by the fleet, and Three and Four.

Amidst the chaos, The Star Fox team tried their best to stay within a tight formation. After their experience within Sector Y, they learned a grim lesson about what happens when they get separated by the Black Suns. Their formation provided them with safety as Three and Four tried multiple times to pick them off individually and they failed to do so.

"They learned…" Three said. "They're not breaking their formation."

"It is impossible to engage one without engaging the others." Four said.

"It doesn't matter; the more time they waste, the more we'll wind down their fleet. Five, where are you?"

Five was avoiding the skirmish by weaving around the ships in the rear of the Black Suns fleet. His modification would determine the out come of the battle, and he tried to avoid conflict as much as possible.

"I'm at our rear flank." Five responded. "Have you dealt with the Star Fox team?"

"No, they have changed their tactics." Three said. "They are flying in a tight formation, and Four and I cannot engage them directly."

"You must find a way to separate them. The longer they are together, the sooner they'll learn how to break through my modification."

"Five," Four said, "They'll be dead long before that happens."

However, the Star Fox team already had a plan in mind. The fact that they were flying within close proximity of each other meant that Krystal could link her mind with theirs more easily. This allowed the team to use their thoughts to communicate while Krystal acted as a median to bridge their thoughts. Krystal however was struggling to maintain the link. Linking her mind with one person is relatively easy, but linking her mind with five others all simultaneously was straining her abilities.

"Guys…" Krystal said. "Whatever you're going to say, say it quick. I can't hold this link for long."

"We need to find Five." Fox said. "We take him down, we reestablish communications."

"Where is that punk then?" Falco asked. "He's cowering his way out!"

Amanda had a realization. She remembered how Five was avoiding the fight when they were fighting the Black Suns in Sector Y. She looked at the Black Suns fleet and tried to see behind the ships. She noticed a small black fighter flying at the rear flank of the fleet.

"He's at the back of the fleet!" Amanda said. "He's trying to avoid the fight!"

"Makes sense." Slippy said. "If his modification goes down, then our ships could coordinate our attack."

"Or retreat." Katt said. "Look!"

The team turned their heads and noticed the _Shroud_ opening fire again on the Cornerian fleet. They watched as another ship was set ablaze and was destroyed.

"Ok," Falco said, "Now I'm pissed… Let's finish this joker right now!"

"All right." Fox said. "We're going to the back of the fleet. Avoid the _Void_ and bring down Five. Let's go!"

Krystal broke the link and had a massive head ache immediately following the breaking. After placing her hand on her head to mend the pain, she resumed her concentration on the fight at hand. The Star Fox team veered through the Black Suns fleet and fought their way to the rear of the fleet. After a brief minute of avoiding danger, they located Five hiding with the rear flank ships.

"Five!" Three said. "They found you!"

"What?!" Five responded. "What the hell?! I thought you'd take care of this!"

"Relax you fool," Four said, "We'll handle them. Just focus on staying alive."

Five slammed his foot on the boost pedal and put the _Executioner_ on a retreating course further behind the fleet.

"No you don't…" Slippy said.

Slippy activated his scanner and marked Five's ship onto his radar. He pressed a series of buttons on his console and marked the target upon the rest of the Star Fox teams' radars. Fox smiled at the sight. Knowing he can't thank him directly, Fox was happy for what Slippy had done.

"Thanks Slippy." Fox said.

The Star Fox team was hot on the trail for their target, and Three and Four were struggling to stop them. With hope in their hearts once more, the Star Fox team boosted towards Five with the intent to bring him down. While the battle in space was still looking grim, Axios and Bill were maneuvering their way through the halls of the _Void_. However, before they would continue, Bill had remembered something important.

"Hey," Bill said, "find us a hiding spot. I need to talk to you."

"Now?" Axios said.

"Yes, this is important."

Axios and Bill had already escaped their prison block and were sneaking through a storage hall way. Axios approached a door and forced it open. The two hid inside a storage room and Axios closed the door behind him.

"What's the meaning of this Bill?" Axios asked. "We need to keep moving."

"Not without the rest of my men." Bill said. "When we got grabbed, I got separated from the rest of my boys. I saw them get thrown into another prison block before I got thrown into mine. I want to get them out."

"We only number two, and there are at least a dozen guards between us and the next cell block. Your fleet right now is taking damage, and-"

"And that's why they need us in ships ready to join the fight."

Axios was silent. He knew that the Cornerian fleet would need all the help it could get, but they needed to escape the _Void_ as soon as possible. However, a light bulb went off in Axios's head. If they were going to stay longer, then he might as well sabotage the _Void_ from the inside while he helped Bill rescue his men.

"All right," Axios said, "I'll make you a deal. I'll help you rescue your men if you help me sabotage the _Void_."

"Sabotage?" Bill asked.

"Yes. We're going to cause some damage to this ship from the inside and help the fleet on the outside bring it down."

"Ha ha! All right, that sounds good to me. Let's do it."

Axios returned to the door and gently opened it. He peaked down one end of the hall way while Bill peaked down the other. The two moved out of the storage room and turned left down the hall towards the next cell block. While they had hope in their hearts for their plan, they still had fear for the Cornerian fleet suffering at the hands of the Black Suns. After avoiding a series of patrolling guards, Axios and Bill eventually reached the entrance to the next cell block. However, there was a pair of guards standing in front of the door way.

"How do we get past them?" Bill asked.

"I got an idea." Axios said. "Follow my lead."

Axios left the corner and Bill hastily followed. They simply walked up to the guards with calm postures as if they were in charge.

"Hey!" Axios called out. "How're you guys doing?"

The guards were puzzled. They didn't expect Axios and Bill to openly approach them. They pointed their guns at the two and were ready to fire.

"Hold it!" one of the guards said. "I know you, you're Two!"

"Wait a minute…" the other guard said. "He was a prisoner…"

Axios and Bill took that moment of confusion and attacked the guards. The Axios grabbed one of the guard's guns and forced it out of his hands. He slammed the guards head into the wall to knock him out. Bill punched the other guard's rifle out of his arms and kicked the guard's legs out from under him. Bill curved stomped the guard in the head to knock him unconscious. The two quickly grabbed the guards' rifles and ammo as they opened the door.

"Well that went well." Bill said.

"One doesn't seem to remember that his guards are complete idiots." Axios said.

As the doors opened, Axios and Bill walked into a large, darkly lit cell block. Axios reached towards a nearby wall and activated the lights. One by one the lights illuminated the cell block. Bill looked inside some of the cells and saw his fellow Husky and Bulldog squadron pilots locked inside. Axios walked back towards the entrance and closed the doors behind him. Bill walked out as the rest of his unit started calling him out. Chaos erupted within the cell block as the soldiers were happy to see their leader alive and well.

"I think this is your crowd." Axios said.

Bill looked out over the cell blocks and smiled at the sight. Axios walked towards an office checkpoint in the back and found the cell block controls. He pulled down a release lever and every cell in the cell block was opened. All the soldiers immediately exited their cells and surrounded Bill. They were all happy to see him.

"All right!" Bill said as he raised his arms. "I get it. I'm happy to see you boys too. Now listen up!"

The soldiers made a circle around Bill, and Axios walked through them to join Bill in the center.

"Right now," Bill said, "there is a Cornerian fleet under siege from these guys. They need our help, and we are going to give them A LOT of it. This man to my side is named Axios. He helped me escape, just like he's going to help all of us do the same. But before we do that, I think it's time for a little pay back, don't you?"

The soldiers started to chuckle amongst themselves.

"What do we need to break?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Just about anything that looks important." Axios said. "Starting with the reactors in the engine room."

"We'll need guns man!" another soldier called out. "No way will we last five minutes like this!"

Axios smiled and walked through the solders as they cleared a path for him. Axios walked back to the office where he released the prisoners and activated another switch. A large set of double doors adjacent to the office were opening, and the doors revealed a large armory to the soldiers. Axios spoke into a microphone so that all the soldiers could hear.

"See anything you like?" Axios said with a grin.

The soldiers were gazing upon shelves of weapons and ammo.

"Gear up!" Bill called out. "We move out in five!"

While the soldiers were refitting in the _Void_, the Star Fox team was hell bent in shooting down Five in the battle in space. Three and Four were pushing their ships to the limits to protect Five. In their efforts to shoot him down, the team was separated from all the laser fire that was targeting them. The Black Suns fleet would not allow them to shoot down Five and they made the Star Fox team's job a lot harder.

"Come on!" Falco exclaimed. "I'm sick of this joker running like a complete coward!"

After a brief moment, Falco managed to locate Five and lock on to his ship. However, before he could fire, he was harassed by laser fire to the rear. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the _Black Mist_ come out of cloaking to engage.

"Blasted invisible monkey!" Falco called out.

Three was tailing Falco trying to get a lock on to destroy. As his ship finally made a lock on, he charged his laser.

"You're mine now!" Three said.

Before Three could fire his shot however, Katt came down and opened fire upon the _Black Mist_.

"Paws off my bird!" Katt exclaimed.

The _Cat's Paw_ continued to harass the _Black Mist_ while Falco continued to trail the _Executioner_. He was not about to let Five out of his sights. After a brief moment of pursuing him, Falco noticed Slippy and Amanda join his side.

"Need a hand Falco?" Slippy said.

"Hmph," Falco said. "I guess I should be thankful."

"I hope those boys don't do anything crazy." Amanda said.

As the trio was pursuing Five, and Katt was in pursuit of Three, Fox and Krystal were having a tough time engaging Four in his _Night Hawk_. His ship moved with the speed faster than anything Fox had ever faced, and his ship was more agile than his own.

"How can this guy move like that?" Fox asked. "This already seems hopeless…"

"Get those thoughts out of your head Fox…" Krystal said. "I can hear you."

Fox forgot that Krystal still kept a link between their minds so that they could communicate.

"As long as we keep him away from Falco and the rest of the team," Fox said, "then they can take down Five."

Fox and Krystal both tried to lock on to Four. However, as soon as they were remotely close to a lock on, Four would activate his advanced VK-MK thrusters and escape.

"You can't lock on if you can't even catch me." Four said. "Three! Status!"

"I'm a little busy here!" Three said as he was being fired upon by Katt. "Hold on!"

Four diverted his attention away from Three and back to the two ships on his rear.

"It would seem that I need to reevaluate my strategy…" Four thought.

Four pulled the _Night Hawk_ into a tight U-turn and approached Fox and Krystal head on. He opened fire upon Fox and Krystal but they also opened fire upon him. The three ships were closing in on each other at extremely high speeds until Fox and Krystal both pulled out of a collision course with Four's ship. Using their disorientation to his advantage, Four pulled another tight U-turn back towards Krystal's _Cloud Runner_. Krystal did what she could to escape Four's attempted lock on, but with a less agile craft she was unsuccessful.

"No no no!" Krystal said. "Fox! I need your help!"

Fox pulled the _Arwing II_ back towards the _Cloud Runner_ and boosted towards Krystal's aid.

"Krystal!" Fox said. "Fly towards me! If you can still hear me, fly towards me!"

Krystal could hear his thoughts and words and piloted the _Cloud Runner_ towards the _Arwing II_.

"Fox?" Krystal asked. "What are you-?"

"Just trust me." Fox said.

"I know what you're thinking, and I don't like it!"

"Krystal, trust me! I'd never hurt you!"

"And what if you miss?!"

"I won't."

Four was hot on her tail and was nearing a lock on. He was right behind the _Cloud Runner _and was not breaking from his trajectory. After a brief moment, he achieved his goal and locked on to Krystal.

"Now you die." Four said.

Before he could fire, he was being fired upon from in front of him. He had to break his lock on and his ship was even struck by Slippy's disruptor laser rounds. Four looked at his left wing and noticed the damage and then faced forward to see an electrical field surround his fighter. Fox was approaching Krystal and Four head on and was firing just over Krystal's fighter. Time slowed down for a brief moment as Fox flew directly over Four's cockpit while the _Awring II_ was turned upside down. Fox and Four made eye contact for a brief moment and exchanged looks of hate before they flew across each other. Time returned back to normal and the three ships all scattered off in different directions. Fox U-turned the _Arwing II_ back to join Krystal.

"Don't ever do that again." Krystal said.

"Ok, never again." Fox replied. "I'm sorry Krystal."

Four lost controls to his VK thrusters. The disruptor rounds had rendered his ship partially useless and one of his engines was operating at 25% efficiency.

"What the hell did you do to my ship?!" Four exclaimed.

"Four," Three said, "this is Three. My scanners say you're powering down your ship, what the hell is going on with you?"

"The fox did something to my ship, I'm losing control to my thruster modifications."

"Four! Move! They're on your tail!"

Four looked over his shoulder and noticed both Fox and Krystal firing upon him. He could not achieve the same maneuverability he had before since his ship had lost too much power. Fox and Krystal were hot on his tail, and the pair even achieved a lock on.

"Ready?" Fox said.

"You know it…" Krystal responded.

The two fighters released a charged shot towards Four but they were unsuccessful in impacting him. Four was still moving relatively fast for them to achieve a proper strike. His ship had enough power to move him from danger.

"We need to disable that ship." Fox said. "Krystal, you-"

Before he could say anything else, Krystal boosted towards Four and locked on again. She brought the _Cloud _Runner right behind the _Night _Hawk and locked on again. This time, she opened fire with the disruptor canon and impacted Four multiple times rendering his ship completely powerless. Krystal flew back in formation with Fox and shot him a smirk. Fox's jaw dropped and he was puzzled.

"What?" Krystal said. "I'm tired of chasing, that's all."

"Um…" Fox said. "Sure, that works."

Four was panicking inside his cockpit. His ship was simply floating in the middle of space without power. He tried to restart his craft multiple times but had no success.

"EMP?!" Four said. "NO! NOT NOW!"

Fox and Krystal turned to the _Night Hawk_ and they both locked on. They both charged a laser round and nodded at each other. The two fired their charged rounds and the two laser rounds combined midflight. Four simply watched as the laser round was about to strike his craft.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried.

After a brief second, the laser rounds impacted his fighter and he was destroyed. Fox and Krystal both flew by and noticed something strange.

"No escape pod?" Fox asked. "Must have been the disruptor rounds…"

"Fox…" Krystal said. "He would have been executed in the Cornerian courts, and we're in battle. We're not left with many options."

"I know…"

Fox held a high respect for very skilled pilots such as Star Wolf and the Black Suns. However, he didn't condone killing them. He would rather have them captured and brought to justice, but the tides of the fleet battle would force him to go against his better judgment.

Fox and Krystal both sped off to find Falco and the rest of the team engaging Five. When they found them, they only noticed Slippy and Amanda pursuing Five. As Fox and Krystal formed up next to their fighters, Krystal established another mental link amongst the four of them.

"We took down Four." Fox said. "Where's Falco? And where's Katt?"

"Beets me." Slippy said.

"Up there!" Amanda called out.

Fox looked up and noticed the _Cat's Paw_ being pursued by Three and his _Nightshade_. However, he also noticed the _Skyclaw_ opening Fire upon Three.

"Keep you stinking hands away from her!" Falco angrily called out.

"I can't believe this!" Three said.

Three broke off his attack on Katt and activated his ship's cloaking to attempt to flee from Falco. However, as soon as Falco lost sight of the _Black Mist_, he started to fire disruptor rounds blindly within the area he last saw the fighter.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Falco said.

To Three's despair, one of the rounds actually struck the _Black Mist_ in the engine. The cloaking modification lost power and Three's _Night Shade _was visible to Falco. Katt rejoined Falco's wing and the two were now in pursuit of Three.

"Five!" Three called out. "Fall back to the _Void!_ I can't hold them both off and we lost Four! Tell One what happened! Don't let them strike you with their lasers, they have EMP rounds! Do not let the fleet regain their communications! They cannot-"

Before Three could continue, Falco and Katt were both opening fire upon him and the _Black Mist_ was being struck by more disruptor laser rounds.

"Three!" Five said. "No!"

Three's ship was losing power and he could not maintain his velocity. He knew his ship was dying and he reached for the eject controls in his cockpit. He pressed a series of buttons and his escape pod was launched into space while the rest of his fighter died. As his pod floated in space, he watched as laser rounds destroyed what was left of his ship and saw the _Skyclaw_ and _Cat's Paw_ bolt right past him.

"Sorry mist." Three said.

Looking at the chaos from the bridge of the _Void_, One was furious at the sight of losing Three and Four. He felt disappointed that his fellow members could not defeat the Star Fox team. One saw Three's escape pod floating in space and grew even more furious.

"Lock on to that escape pod." One said.

His crew was confused. They were about to target a Black Suns member.

"DO IT!" One angrily demanded.

Three watched as a canon on the _Void_ was targeting him. He instantly knew what was about to happen.

"ONE!" Three said. "DON'T DO IT!"

Three was silenced as a canon from the _Void_ destroyed the pod within space. The Star Fox team was now focused on Five, and there was nowhere for him to run. As Falco and Katt rejoined formation with the rest of the team, each member locked on to Five's craft.

"ONE!" Five called out. "I NEED HELP!"

"You failed me." One said. "I'll find another way."

"ONE!"

The Star Fox team each charged a laser round while locked on to Five. As soon as Fox fired his laser, the rest of the team quickly followed. The six laser rounds all combined midflight and Five was left with nowhere to flee. He was not able to break the lock on and he braced himself for impact.

"DAMN YOU STAR FOXXXXX!" Five exclaimed.

The laser round struck Five in the rear of his ship and caused his entire fighter to be destroyed. After a brief moment, communications returned to the rest of the Cornerian force. The Star Fox team was able to communicate amongst themselves and with Peppy and the main fleet.

"Peppy!" Fox called out. "Get the fleet out of here now!"

"I don't think so Fox." Peppy said. "I think that weapon of there is about to have a bad day."

"Cut the funny business gramps!" Falco said. "This isn't the time to be taking your chances!"

"Peppy!" Slippy said. "That's gun will tear you apart! Get the ships out of there!"

"Don't be foolish!" Krystal said. "We need you all alive!"

"Peppy!" Amanda called out. "Please leave!"

"You'll see. We're taking this fight to the enemy, and I'll be damned if I let them get away with that weapon." Peppy said.

Peppy activated his communicator and broadcasted to the entire Cornerian fleet.

"All ships!" he said. "Concentrate fire upon the super weapon. All fighters engage their fleet directly and buy us some time!"

All the Cornerian fighters started to rain laser fire upon the Black Suns Fleet. The tides of battle had finally turned, and the Star Fox team wasted no time in engaging the _Shroud_.

"Team!" Fox said. "Take down that weapon!"

For the first time, One felt uneasy. A drop of sweat went down the side of his head and he started to lose his cool.

"Get the _Shroud_ out of there." One said. "Fall back to Venom. All ships retreat!"

"Sir! We lost controls to the _Void_'s engines!" a crewman called out.

"Show me the engine room."

One walked over to the crewman's monitor as security footage of the engine room was being brought up. One saw the impossible. Axios, Bill, and the rest of the Husky and Bulldog soldiers were firing upon the engine reactors sabotaging the ship.

Axios looked up at the security camera and smiled at it. One was sickened with the sight of his smile. Axios then pointed his gun at the camera and the screen turned to static. One was furious. The tides of battle had been turned, and now One (other than Axios by association) was the last remaining Black Sun.


	19. Bring Them Home

_Hello Star Fox fans! I hope you're all enjoying your new years! As one last gift from me for the year, I decided to crank out another chapter for you all. Enjoy your holiday and have some fun! Here is the next installment for you all. Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

19. Bring Them Home

~The Cornerian fleet was now the aggressor in the skirmish. One was had ordered the retreat for the Black Suns fleet and had lost his six closest comrades to the Star Fox team. The _Shroud_ was now in danger, and the rest of the insurrectionist that followed One were being decimated. To add on to One's despair, Axios and Bill, along with the rest of the Husky and Bulldog soldiers, were wreaking havoc aboard the _Void_. The vast mother ship's engines were destroyed from the inside, and the ship itself was unable to flee. Within the engine room, Axios was forcing a door open that lead towards the hangar.

"Come on!" Axios called out. "The hangar is this way!"

"You heard him!" Bill said. "Move!"

The two of them lead the soldiers out of the exploding engine room and into a hall way that lead them towards the hangar. However, the _Void's_ alarm had brought the attention of the ships guards to the engine room, and soon the two groups of soldiers were engaged in a fire fight. Axios and Bill were on opposite ends of a maintenance hall way taking cover from fire coming from the insurrectionist guards that patrolled the _Void_.

"Bill!" Axios called out.

"What is it man?" Bill said as he was firing his rifle at the guards.

"We don't have time for this! We need to get off the ship as soon as possible. The engine failure will lead to a critical systems failure which will completely destroy the _Void_. We need to evacuate immediately!"

"WHAT?!"

Bill took cover and reloaded his rifle. He looked across the hall and saw Axios firing from his position at the guards.

"You should have mentioned that earlier!" Bill said. "How much time do we have?"

To answer his question, the ships on board computer started to sound off.

"Alert! Alert!" said the ships on board alarm. "Critical systems failure. Detonation, imminent. Crew has ten minutes to evacuate to minimal safe distance."

"Oh great…" Bill said.

Axios, Bill, and the rest of the soldiers eventually cleared out the guards that were blocking them and proceeded towards the hangar. As they moved to safety, One was giving out his last commands to the rest of the fleet.

"All ships!" One said. "Flee the sector and fall back to Venom! The _Void_ is lost, and the _Shroud_ must be protected! Escort the _Shroud_ to the jump point and flee the system as soon as it's clear."

One turned towards his crew.

"I want all of you to evacuate immediately." One said. "Get to the emergency hangar and get to your shuttles. Fall back to Venom and wait for me there. I promise you all, we will have our revenge for this!"

The crew all nodded their heads at One and they all quickly exited the bridge. While they all proceeded to evacuate, the Cornerian fleet was pursuing the Black Suns fleet and engaging the _Shroud_.

"We can't let them get away with that super weapon!" Fox said. "Take it out! We're running out of time!"

The Star Fox team engaged the _Shroud_, but could not conduct a direct assault as the _Shroud_ was heavily defended. Each time they would get close enough to open fire, the Black Suns fleet or the insurrectionist fighters would engage them to fend them off.

"Enemy fleet is in full retreat." ROB said. "Enemy super weapon is approaching a jump point. Estimated time to jump: five minutes."

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Falco said.

The _Skyclaw, Cat's Paw_, and several dozen Cornerian fighters all engaged the _Shroud_. The Cornerian fighters punched a hole in the insurrectionist escorts for Falco and Katt to fly through. After a brief moment, the _Skyclaw_ and _Cat's Paw_ opened fire upon the _Shroud_. However, their lasers were insufficient to even scratch the armor plating.

"Our laser fire isn't enough to even scratch that thing!" Katt said.

"No problem!" Falco responded. "We'll just get some bigger guns that's all!"

On the other side of the _Shroud_, Slippy and Amanda were repeatedly firing upon the hull with no success. They quickly had to break off their assault as they were constantly being engaged by the insurrectionist forces.

"Slippy, can you find any weak point?" Amanda asked.

"In all seriousness," Slippy said, "I actually can't. This thing is reinforced from head to toe, and I can't find a weak spot!"

"Slippy," Fox said, "find us something to target and find it fast! We're running out of time."

The _Arwing II_ and the _Cloud Runner_ were both engaging insurrectionist fighters around the _Shroud_. As time progressed, Fox was becoming more and more uneasy about letting the _Shroud_ escape.

"ROB?" Fox asked.

"Scanners indicate that the hyper drive is charging for a jump." ROB said. "Estimated time for hyperspace jump: two minutes."

"Fox, this is Peppy." Peppy said. "I have just ordered the rest of the fleet to engage the retreating Black Suns fleet. We've lost four destroyers and two frigates and we don't have the sufficient fire power to bring that thing down. Break off your attack on that weapon and concentrate on what's left of the Black Suns fleet."

"What?!" Falco said. "You crazy old fool! We can't let this thing get away!"

"Falco," Fox said, "Live today and fight tomorrow. We'll find a way to bring this thing down, but we need to regroup."

"He's got a point." Katt said. "I don't want to risk having my tail shot off chasing something we can find later."

Against his better judgment, Falco broke off his attack along with the rest of the Star Fox team. They all turned to engage the Black Suns fleet and they chose to target the _Void_ as their first ship to destroy. However, they were a bit on edge as they saw explosions next to the mother hip's engine.

"Hey what gives?" Slippy asked. "We haven't started attacking the ship yet and it's already blowing up on its own!"

"ROB," Fox said, "what's going on?"

"Scanner indicates that the ship's engine has been sabotaged from the inside." ROB said. "I have also tracked Axios's ankle locator and concluded that Axios is the cause of the ship's current state of chaos."

"Axios did that?" Krystal asked.

"Not alone," Falco said, "no way. He must have had help."

The light bulb went off in Fox's head.

"Bill!" Fox said. "He found Bill! And he probably also found the rest of the Husky and Bulldog pilots."

"Peppy," Amanda said, "Do not engage the mother ship! Axios is in there with Bill and the rest of the missing soldiers."

"We got the data." Peppy said. "We are engaging the other ships surrounding the _Void_. I want you guys to get Axios and Bill out of there and-"

"If you honestly think we're flying into an already dying ship then you've got another thing coming!" Katt said.

"Gramps," Falco said, "the ship is blowing up from the inside, and we can't get near it."

"ROB," Fox said, "try to find a way to reach Axios."

"Communication with the _Void_ is all silent. It is likely the ship's communicator has already been destroyed by the sabotage." ROB said.

The Star Fox team could only engage other ships within the Black Suns fleet while they watched and hoped for Axios and Bill to escape. Within the _Void_, the soldiers had managed to fight their way towards the main hangar bay. Axios was guiding the soldiers to escape shuttles while the ship was blowing up around them. Parts of the hangar roof had collapsed on top of the landed ships below, and flames were spreading throughout the hangar.

"Over there!" Axios said. "Get to the shuttles and take off!"

Axios started to move the opposite direction away from Bill and the soldiers.

"Hey!" Bill called out. "Where are you going?! This whole place is going to blow!"

"Just get yourselves out of here!" Axios said. "Now!"

The hangar ceiling had collapsed in between them and now Axios and Bill were separated by a large pile of rubble. Axios and Bill both dove away from each other before the ceiling came down, and now they were completely separated.

"I'll find another way!" Axios said. "Now go!"

Bill started to run towards the shuttles while Axios returned to the hangar entrance. The soldiers were evenly distributed amongst three docked shuttles.

"Take off!" Bill said. "And get on the communicators. Contact the fleet and tell them to watch their fire!"

The three shuttles slowly took off from the hangar and darted out into space. Bill immediately activated the ship's communicator and sent out an emergency message towards the Cornerian fleet.

"This is Commander Bill Grey of the Husky and Bulldog Cornerian Defense Squadrons." Bill said. "We have commandeered enemy transport and are currently evacuating the Black Suns mother ship in enemy shuttles. Watch your fire."

"Bill!" Fox said. "Is that you?! I don't believe it!"

"Hey! Long time buddy! Nice to finally see ya!"

"Ha," Falco said, "the mutt actually turned out ok."

"Hey we both know who's the better pilot Falco."

"Bill!" Krystal said. "Are you all right?"

"Me and my boys are just fine. You guys have made quite the friend."

"Friend?" Slippy asked.

"Axios!" Amanda said.

"Bill," Fox said, "Where is Axios?"

"Um…."

Bill choked on the words he was about to say.

"He went back into the _Void_." Bill said. "He didn't say why, he just turned the opposite direction and we got separated."

"He did WHAT?!" Fox said.

Aboard the _Void_, there was chaos. There were explosions engulfing the halls and fires had spread throughout the ship. Axios was sprinting through the halls towards the ship's bridge. He was looking for One, and wanted to confront him one last time before he would escape.

"Destruction in four minutes." said the ship's on board computer.

Axios kicked the doors to the bridge open and pointed rifle towards the sides of the room. He entered the bridge to find it empty and on fire. He jumped over a few small flames and approached the bridge's main terminal. He looked at the console and he found a personal message for him left by One.

"Axios," the message said, "I've already left. If you want the truth, then you know where to find it. You cannot save me, I have already committed towards Corneria's destruction. You will either by at my side, or in my way. Make the choice, and while you're at it get out of here while you can. If anything is going to cause your death, it will be of my doing."

Axios looked forward and looked through the window. To his surprise, he saw One in his _Archangel _floating right in front of the bridge windshield. Axios and One exchanged one last look of hate and One turned to fly away. As One flew away, he join the rest of the fleet that was already in retreat. All the ships activated their hyper drives and entered their hyperspace jumps. One docked his fighter in the last frigate before the frigate entered hyperspace. Axios turned around and started to flee the bridge. However, an explosion had launched him forward into a wall and nearly knocked him out.

"Dammit…" Axios said as he brought himself up.

Axios shook off the pain and started to sprint though the halls of the _Void_. There were explosions going off all around him and it made his job a lot harder to navigate the already ruined _Void_. Another explosion launched Axios into another wall and debris fell down on top of his legs. Axios was caught under the debris and one of his legs was pinned. Axios was running out of time to escape and he made a drastic decision. Axios reached for a sharp piece of metal and raised it over him. He let out one last scream and brought the blade down upon his leg.

Outside of the vast mother ship, the rest of the Black Suns fleet had already fled the space zone. The Cornerian fleet was regrouping around the _Void_ and watching as the vast mother ship was being blown up from the inside.

"All ships," Peppy said, "regroup on the flag ship. All fighters return to your respective hangars and report to debriefing. We won the day gentlemen, and we live to fight another day. Good job to all of you."

The rest of the team simply watched as the mother ship was in its final stages of destruction.

"Critical systems failure detected." ROB said. "Destruction in 3… 2… 1…"

Just as ROB counted down, the _Void_'s primary reactor detonated. The entire mother ship was destroyed within one large blast. The resulting shockwave from the explosion violently shook the nearby fighters including the Star Fox team. Every one of them was shaken within their fighters and struggled to maintain control. However, after a brief minute, they were able to regain control of their craft.

Despite the Cornerian soldiers celebrating their victory, the Star Fox team was silent.

"ROB?" Fox asked.

"I have lost the signal from Axios's ankle locator." ROB said. "My scanners indicate that from the point of signal loss, Axios did not make it out of the ship before the explosion."

The team was silent.

"Axios…" Fox said.

The three shuttles that were carrying Bill and the rest of his soldiers docked with Peppy's flag ship. The Cornerian fleet plotted their hyperspace jumps back towards Corneria. However, the Star Fox team was still flying out and about in open space.

"Fox?" Peppy asked.

"Axios was still on the ship." Fox said in a low depressed tone.

"Are you saying…?"

"He never got out. Bill said he fell behind and ROB lost the signal from his ankle locator…"

The rest of the Star Fox team formed up next to Fox. They all felt disheartened at the news. Axios had helped them so much and even joined the Star Fox team as a full member. He connected with Fox and the team and now they felt like they lost a brother.

"Fox…" Krystal said. "I'm so sorry…"

"The guys had guts…" Falco said.

"Axios no!" Slippy said. "This can't be happening…"

"He gave his life to help us…" Amanda said.

"Well…" Katt said. "This surely will bring my day down a bit…"

The team circled back towards the _Great Fox_. They were devastated at the knowledge of losing Axios. However, Rob broke the tension as he spoke into the communicators.

"Alert!" ROB said. "Black Suns assets have been sighted within the space zone!"

"Say what?!" Falco said. "Oh come on! These guys just took away our friend and now they want some more?"

"The asset is not a fighter." Krystal said. "It's an escape pod."

"ROB," Fox said, "Axios's ankle locator was left on board the _Void_ when it blew right?"

"Affirmative." ROB said. "My scanners indicate that Axios did not escape the blast."

Going against his better judgment, Fox flew towards the floating pod. He did not want to leave anything unchecked within the system.

"Where're you going Fox?" Amanda asked.

"I'm checking out this pod." Fox said. "Not going to leave anything unchecked."

"Might be worth salvaging." Slippy said.

"Or blowing it up." Falco said.

"I'm checking it out regardless." Fox said. "I want you guys to go back to the ship."

Following his commands, the rest of the Star Fox team flew back and docked with the _Great Fox_. Fox on the other hand flew towards the floating pod. He brought the _Arwing II_ as close as he could until he could see the window on the pod. He activated his search lights and shined a light on the pod. As the floating pod slowly turned over, Fox could see the occupant inside. His heart stopped as he couldn't believe the sight.

"Guys guys!" Fox exclaimed. "It's an escape pod! And Axios is inside it!"

The team was silent. Joy quickly filled their hearts at the news as they were dismounting their fighters.

"Is he ok?" Krystal asked.

"He's not moving." Fox said. "Prep the med bay, I'm bringing him in."

Fox rotated the _Arwing II_ until its back end was facing the pod. Fox fired a claw from the back of the ship and it clamped onto Axios's pod. He towed the pod back on board the _Great Fox_. As soon as the hangar was pressurized, Fox dismounted the ship and rushed to the pod. He was quickly joined by the rest of the team as they all tried to force the pod open. As soon as they opened the escape pod, they found Axios unconscious strapped to the chair. However, they were shocked at his condition.

"Fox…" Amanda said. "Look."

Amanda pointed out Axios's leg. He was missing his left leg from the knee down and blood was dripping from the cover Axios made.

"Let's get him to the med bay." Slippy said. "I can work on him and his leg once we get there."

Fox entered the pod and tried to wake Axios.

"Axios?" Fox said. "Axios can you hear me?"

Axios slowly started shifting his head and to the team's joy his eyes slowly started to open. However, Axios was still much disorientated and his vision was blurry. Never the less, he was able to recognize the team.

"Nice to see you guys again…" Axios said in a weak tone.

Fox unstrapped Axios from his chair and placed Axios's arm over his shoulder. He lifted Axios out of the pod but Axios instantly fell over onto the ground.

"Your leg!" Katt said. "What the…?"

"I'll explain later…" Axios said.

Falco and Fox helped Axios stand as straight as he could. The team also noticed he had a few cuts to his body but they were not as severe. The team brought Axios to the med bay and laid him down on top of the table. Unlike last time, Axios was able to remain awake while the team tried to apply first aid.

"You made it…" Krystal said. "How did you-"

"I needed to find One…" Axios said. "But he escaped and I got trapped. I managed to free myself at a little bit of a cost."

"You're leg…" Fox said.

"Correct. I managed to climb aboard an escape pod just before the ship blew. I also confirmed where we need to go next. One and the rest of the fleet fled towards Venom, and it's likely that One is pulling all of the insurrectionists in Lylat to come to his aid."

"What about that super weapon?" Amanda asked.

"And the base?" Slippy asked.

"The base on Venom is One's last fall back. It's likely he brought the _Shroud_ back there for protection."

"We'll worry about that later." Fox said.

"Welcome back Axios." Falco said.

The day had been won. Axios and Bill returned safely from their capture, and the Black suns fleet was in full retreat. The _Great Fox_ entered its hyperspace jump and headed home towards Corneria.


	20. Reflections

_Hello Star Fox fans! Another day comes with another chapter. Here is the next installment for you. Leave a review if you'd like and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

20. Reflections

~The 1st Engagement Fleet and the _Great Fox_ spent their day on Corneria recovering from the skirmish they fought. While the fleet sustained heavy losses, they returned victorious. As for the Star Fox team, the fact that they were able to make it home with no losses and even recovering Bill and Axios was a major success for them. Moral was high amongst the Cornerian Space Defense, and the team decided to relax with each other within the lounge aboard the _Great Fox_. They were all sitting down and enjoying coffee while conversing about their current mission.

"Oh man…" Slippy said as he was stretching his arms. "Feels like I haven't had a break in years."

"Tell me about it." Amanda said. "Handling the Black Suns is starting to feel like handling the Anglars all over again."

"At least we cut them down to size." Falco said. "From eight to one right?"

"From eight to two." Katt said. "Isn't Axios also a member?"

"I don't think he considers himself a member." Krystal said. "He was pretty certain about cutting all ties with the Black Suns."

"He's even saved our lives in battle." Fox said. "Not to mention he's a member of Star Fox now. He won't be worrying about the Black Suns wanting him back any time soon."

"Hey, at least he went with the winning team." Falco said.

The group chuckled at Falco's last comment and continued to enjoy time to their selves. However, Katt was irritated by something.

"Where is Axios any ways?" she asked.

The group was silent and was completely caught off guard with Katt's question.

"I'm not sure." Fox said.

Fox stood from his chair and exited the lounge. He walked through the halls of the _Great Fox_ in search of Axios.

"Axios!" Fox called out.

There was no response. Fox went to Axios's room and knocked the door.

"Axios?" he called out. "Are you in there?"

Fox noticed that the door to Axios's room was partially opened. He gently opened the rest of the door and found that Axios was not in his room. His bed sheets were properly made, and his blaster and knife were left on top of his desk. Fox entered his room to search for any signs of Axios. After looking around for a few minutes, he found nothing and left Axios's room. Fox noticed that Falco and Krystal were outside waiting for him.

"He's not in there?" Falco asked.

"No," Fox said, "I actually have no idea where he is."

"Strange…" Krystal said.

The trio went to the bridge in search of Axios and found ROB at one of the bridge's terminals.

"ROB." Fox said. "Have you seen Axios?"

"Negative." ROB said.

"What about the security cameras?" Krystal asked.

ROB went to a separate terminal aboard the bridge and started to work with one of the consoles. Soon, security footage appeared on one of the bridge's monitors. The image of Axios's bed room door appeared on screen, yet nothing was happening.

"Fast forwarding to times four speed." ROB said.

The team finally saw the door open and Axios exiting his room. They noticed he was limping out of his room with mechanical proteases on his left leg.

"Stop it there." Fox said. "When was this?"

"Footage capture was at 3:02a.m." Rob said.

"What's he doing at three in the morning?" Falco asked.

"You're not a morning person are you Falco…?" Krystal sarcastically asked.

"Nope, and I'm proud of it."

"Of course you are…" Fox said. "ROB, continue the feed. Find out where he went."

Fox, Krystal, and Falco watched as Axios continued down the hall towards the hangar. They saw him take the elevator from the hangar out of the _Great Fox_. Rob switched the feed to the cameras on the exterior of the _Great Fox_. Axios was heading towards the air way terminal and he was picked up by a hover craft. ROB cut the footage as soon as the hover craft left the screen.

"Where could he have gone?" Krystal asked.

"We'll go find him." Fox said. "Falco, you stay here. You're in charge of the ship until we come back."

"No problem." Falco said.

Fox and Krystal said their good byes to Falco and they left the _Great Fox_. As they were approaching the air way terminal a hover craft approached them. An officer stepped out of the hover craft and saluted Fox and Krystal. To Fox's surprise, it was Officer Pricewho was saluting them.

"Captain McCloud! Sir!" Price said. "It's good to see you again, and in one piece."

"Officer Price!" Fox said. "It's good to see you too."

"I heard about the troubles the Star Fox team had been experiencing. Good to know you guys are ok."

"We've hit a few road bumps, but we've had plenty of help thanks to the military."

"Understood. Who's your friend?"

Fox placed his arm around Krystal and the two smiled at Price.

"This is Krystal," Fox said, "She's a member of the Star Fox team and a very good friend of mine."

"Pleased to meet you Krystal." Price said.

"Like wise." Krystal responded.

"Price," Fox said, "I'm not sure how recently you've been escorting people from the air way, but we're looking for a friend of ours. He's a silver furred fox that goes by the name Axios. Have you seen him?"

Price took a step back and placed his hand on his chin.

"Axios…" he said. "Haven't met an Axios, but I have recently escorted a silver furred fox."

Krystal took the opportunity to establish a mental link between her and Price. She looked into his memories and found that Price had escorted Axios. Price drove him to a park roughly twenty minutes from the air way.

"Price," Krystal said, "do you mind taking me and Fox to the park?"

"Uh, sure." Price said. "What about you friend?"

Fox looked at Krystal with slight confusion. However, Krystal winked at him and Fox caught on to her intentions.

"We were just wondering if he passed by or not." Fox said.

"Fair enough." Price said. "Hop in and I'll take you."

Fox and Krystal got into the back seat of Price's hover craft. Price drove away from the air way and into the Cornerian streets. While the air way is close to a major city, the streets were relatively clear of traffic.

"A lot less busy compared to normal." Fox said.

"Yea people have been keeping indoors a bit since word of the Black Suns got out." Price said. "A lot of people weren't ready for another war, and lately the streets have been empty."

"They're scared?" Krystal asked.

"You can say that." Price responded. "Considering we lost a whole fleet, and almost lost another just recently; people aren't feeling exactly safe."

Price made a turn onto a street that lead straight to the park. After another ten minutes of driving, they had arrived. Fox and Krystal dismounted the hover craft and walked around to Price's window. Price handed them a small communicator before they left.

"Take this." Price said. "Just press the blue button when you're ready for an extraction and I'll come get you."

"Thanks Price." Fox said.

"No problem. Take care!"

As price had left, Fox and Krystal decided to take a stroll in the park looking for Axios. Krystal placed her finger tips on her forehead searching the area for any signs of Axios. After a brief minute of walking, she found a faint signal from Axios.

"I think I found him." Krystal said.

"Where is he?" Fox asked.

The two continued to walk until they could see a large marble fountain in the center of a large pond within the park. There was a paved path that circled the pond and on the other of the pond was a bench. Fox and Krystal could see a black clothed figure sitting alone on the bench. They started to walk around the pond until they could see the face of the figure. As soon as they realized that it was Axios, they quickened their pace to greet him.

Axios was sitting on the bench with his head lowered and his eyes closed. He was simply enjoying the time to himself while surrounded by nature within the park. The air was cool, and the sun was shining brightly within the blue sky. He could hear people coming, and he turned to look at his visitors.

"Company…" he thought.

Fox and Krystal walked up to Axios and was a bit confused as to why they found him alone.

"I didn't break any rules did I?" Axios asked.

"No." Fox said. "But we were worried about you. You can't just walk around on your own in the condition you're in you know?"

Axios was a bit confused about Fox's statement until he looked at his leg. He chuckled a bit and smiled at the couple.

"Trust me," Axios said, "I'm moving because I can handle it in my condition. I just needed some air all right?"

"Is that all?" Krystal asked.

Axios's smile quickly vanished and he took a deep breath. He sat back in his chair and his facial expression revealed depression from within him.

"I suppose I can't lie to you now can I." Axios said to Krystal.

"You're a member of Star Fox you know." Fox said. "We're always here for you if you need us."

"What's really the matter Axios?" Krystal said.

Axios stood from the bench and approached Fox and Krystal.

"I don't know how to explain it…" Axios said. "So I'll just show you."

Axios looked at Krystal.

"I think you'll have to make a link with the three of us." he said.

Krystal nodded her head and gently placed her finger tips on fox and Axios's foreheads. Krystal focused on Axios memories and Axios focused on the memories he was willing to show. To Fox and Krystal's surprise, they were looking upon the memories of Axios's child hood.

Fox and Krystal found themselves on Macbeth. They were both wearing black clothing and were invisible to the people within Axios's memories. They found themselves within a city in Macbeth and it was crowded with people.

"What is this?" Fox asked.

"This is how I can view memories." Krystal said. "We're invisible to these people, and we can only see what Axios is willing to show us."

"Seems like we're on Macbeth. I don't recognize this city though."

"We must be far from the factory districts."

After a brief moment, the vision had changed. Fox and Krystal were now standing behind a set of trees in a park on Macbeth. They found a two young foxes having a foot race side by side within the park. One had silver fur while the other had brown fur. As the two were running, the silver vulpine tripped and fell on the ground. However, the brown vulpine continued to run. The silver vulpine quickly got up and continued running. However, as soon as the brown vulpine crossed a certain set of bushes in the park, he stopped and raised his hands over the air.

"Woo!" the brown vulpine cheered. "Looks like I win again."

The silver vulpine finally crossed the bush and was hunched over panting.

"You're lucky I tripped." the silver vulpine said.

"Well…" the brown vulpine said.

The young brown vulpine came up to his silver friend and pushed him down to him down to the ground.

"If you had better balance," the brown vulpine said, "maybe you wouldn't fall on your face all the time."

The silver vulpine grinned at his brown friend and quickly rose to his feet. He brought his hands up ready in a fighter's stance and called out his brown furred friend.

"Can you back up that talk?" the silver vulpine asked.

The brown vulpine took a step back and brought his hands up in his fighter's stance.

"I'm not going to go easy on you." the brown vulpine said. "You're eight years old now; I think it's time you learned how to really fight."

"Bring it!" called out the silver vulpine.

After a brief moment, the two foxes charged each other. The brown vulpine tackled his silver friend into the ground but the silver vulpine flipped the brown over his head. The two of them both stood from the ground and charged each other. As the two foxes were in the middle of their sparring, the vision had changed again. The two foxes were now within their early teen age years. They were both sparring with each other again in front of a home. There was an older brown furred fox standing off to the side watching the two foxes spar. The older vulpine had a scar run across his face and he had an eye patch over his left eye.

The brown fox charged his silver friend and attempted to punch him across the face; after his silver friend blocked the punch, he tried again with a knee to the gut. However, the silver vulpine blocked the knee and stepped into the brown vulpine and delivered a punch into his gut. The brown vulpine fell down to one knee and the silver vulpine took the opportunity to jump over his shoulders. As he got around behind him, he grabbed the brown vulpine's neck and forced him down to the ground. Upon the brown vulpine being brought down, the silver vulpine grabbed one of his arms and bent it behind him. After a brief moment, the brown vulpine could not move an inch as he was completely restrained. Fox and Krystal watched as the elder vulpine slowly approached them both.

"That is enough." the elder said.

The silver vulpine released his brown friend and the two stepped away from each other.

"Corvo," the elder said to the brown vulpine, "you must not overcommit to a single attack as it may be the death of you. Do you understand?"

"Yes father." Corvo responded.

The elder then turned to the silver vulpine.

"And you, Axios." the elder said. "You mustn't always fight for submission. Should the need arise; it is better to eliminate you enemy rather than force him to surrender. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Axios responded.

Fox and Krystal were stunned to finally have the identities of the foxes revealed to him.

"Axios and Corvo?" Fox asked.

"This is their youth." Krystal said. "Corvo must be his brother."

After another brief minute, the vision had changed again. They saw Axios and Corvo working with an older, silver, feminine fox on a pair of star fighters.

"Keep this in mind boys," the feminine vulpine said. "These fighters are to be used for good. There are bad people out there in the system that only wants to hurt others. When the time comes, your training will not be easy. However, you will become stronger men because of it, and you're piloting skills will become a lot sharper too."

"You worry too much mother." Corvo said. "We'll be better than all the students."

"And better than the instructors as well." Axios joked.

Axios and Corvo both chuckled and gave each other a high five. Their mother simply chuckled and rolled her eyes. After a brief moment, she came to her boys and embraced the two of them.

"My boys…" she said. "Just be careful."

The vision changed again and Fox and Krystal were both standing in the rear of a crowd. it had been a few years and Axios and Corvo were both graduating from the Macbeth Flight Academy. They both graduated at the top of their class and their piloting scores surpassed those of even the instructors. As they were receiving their medals and graduation plaques, they got strange looks from a group of people within the crowd. Axios and Corvo were a bit on edge as the looks they were receiving from a group of bull dogs were far from friendly. Krystal could sense their distress and pointed out the bull dogs to Fox. They were both on edge on what was about to happen.

After a brief minute, the vision was changing again and they could see Axios and Corvo being driven back home in a hover car. However, they were stalled several blocks from their home as there was a police road block. Axios and Corvo both stepped out of their hover car and approached the officer in charge.

"What's going on here?" Corvo asked.

"There was a fire." the officer said. "One of the homes on 33rd street was burned down."

A line snapped within Axios and Corvo's minds.

"That where we live!" Axios called out. "Which home was burned down?!"

"The listed owner was a brown fox named Faxton." the officer replied.

Axios and Corvo were both shocked. They both looked at each other in fear, and then they sprinted past the blockade.

"Hey! You can't go there!" the officer called out.

Axios and Corvo ignored his warning and they pushed and shoved their way towards their home. They eventually reached their street and found their home in ruins. They both rushed to get inside of their home to search for their family but they were tackled by fire men and the police.

"MOTHER! FATHER!" Axios cried.

"LET GO OF US!" Corvo demanded.

It took four men each to restrain Axios and Corvo until they were both forced on to the ground. Fox and Krystal could not believe the sight. Axios and Corvo were only in their mid-teens and they had lost their parents and their home.

"I don't believe this…" Fox said.

"This… It's horrible…" Krystal said.

As the vision progressed, they saw both Axios and Corvo in an interrogation room. They had glasses of water in front of them and they were both scared beyond belief. A husky detective entered the room and both Axios and Corvo stood in an instant. The detective held out his hand and the two boys sat back down.

"Are you two Axios and Corvo Faxton?" the detective asked.

Axios and Corvo both nodded their heads and the detective sat down and placed an envelope on the table.

"Well boys," he said, "There's no easy way to say this so I think I'm just going to come out with it."

Axios and Corvo were both on the edge of their seats.

"Your parents…" the detective said. "They were killed within the fire."

Axios and Corvo were both frozen. They could not believe the reality of the situation and they were both devastated.

"They're… dead…?" Corvo asked as a tear ran down his face.

"I'm sorry son…" the detective said. "But I'm afraid they are."

Axios stood from his seat in an angry fit and flipped the table off to the side. He rushed the detective and grabbed him by the collar of his suit. Axios held him up against the wall as tears started to break from his eyes.

"You're lying!" Axios screamed. "You're lying! You can't be serious! YOU'RE LYING!"

Corvo did nothing but sit back in his chair. There were tears streaming down his face and he could only watch Axios as he threw his tantrum.

"Son please!" the detective said. "I'm sorry. There was-"

"SHUT UP!" Axios said.

Axios could not hold his tears back any longer and he released the detective. He started to stumble backwards until his back hit a wall. He simply sank to the ground in complete defeat and disbelief.

"Just shut up…" Axios said. "Just shut up…"

"I'm sorry boys." the detective said. "I really am…"

"Sorry for what…" Corvo said in a depressed, hateful tone. "This isn't your problem… So why would you be sorry?"

The detective was silent. He couldn't try to relate to the boys since they had just lost their parents. After a brief moment, Axios stood from the ground and approached the detective.

"Who did this?" Axios asked.

The detective handed Axios the envelope that was turned over when Axios flipped the table. Axios opened it and went through pages which revealed the images of several bull dogs.

"They're part of a gang known as the Crimson Ghosts." the detective said. "They have been making petty crimes here and there on Macbeth. Lately however, they've been stepping up their game by conducting raids on a few settlements and factories here on Macbeth."

"Why did they do this?" Corvo asked. "What did we do to deserve this?!"

"Well boys… Your father was part of an investigation that was seeking to bring them to justice. He discovered some evidence and turned it in to the authorities. Afterwards he-"

"Wait," Axios said, "this is wrong. Our father worked in a factory, he wasn't a cop."

"The factory your father worked in was owned by the Crimson Ghosts, or at least some of their thugs. He was working undercover as a factory worker."

Axios and Corvo were both silent.

"He lied to us…" Corvo said.

"I'm sorry son." the detective said. "He must have hid the truth from you in order to protect you. He wouldn't want you to be involved with his line of work as it can be dangerous for family."

Axios and Corvo were both shocked to learn of the truth. They didn't know what to do next and they had no home to go back to.

"Where did these guys go?" Corvo asked. "The Crimson Ghosts, where did they go?"

"They're centered around a place known as Sargasso Station." the detective said.

A light bulb went off in Axios and Corvo's head. Corvo rushed over to Axios and the two of them started looking upon the photos. They would never forget the faces of those who killed their parents. Still watching from a hidden void, Fox and Krystal were both mortified at Axios and Corvo's past. Going against her better judgment, Krystal destroyed the psychic link and soon Fox, Krystal, and Axios were back in the park.

"What's wrong?" Axios asked.

"Why are you showing us this?" Krystal asked.

"Because throughout my entire childhood; Corvo was always at my side." Axios said. "My own brother would die for me, and I would have done the dame for him. But now he's become a monster, and I can't understand what happened to him. I'm trying to figure out what happened to him that caused him to become a monster, but I just can't."

"I still don't understand." Fox said. "Who is Corvo? What happened to him?"

Immediately upon asking his question, Axios's eyes widened and he was in shock. Fox and Krystal were both confused as to Axios's change in facial expression until they turned around. They saw a black robed, hooded fox approaching them from a set of trees. The hooded Fox approached them and removed his hood. As soon as his head was revealed, Fox drew his blaster and Krystal drew her staff.

"What are you doing here…?" Axios asked.

"What…?" One said. "Can I not have a nice chat with my little brother and his friends?"


	21. Last Goodbye

_Hello Star Fox fans! That took A LOT longer than expected and I apologize for that. I got really distracted over the winter break from my university as I was spending it with family and friends. Now that I am back at school, and back in the groove between studies and writing; I can now focus more on the continuation of the story. Again, I apologize if I kept you guys waiting a bit longer than normal. Here is the next installment in the series. Leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

21. Last Goodbye

~Fox, Krystal, and Axios were on all edge. They had never expected a surprise visit from One, and were ill prepared to handle the situation. Tension rose amongst the foxes, and Fox and Krystal had their weapons ready and waiting.

"How did you get here…?" Fox asked.

"Axios…" One said. "Would you be so kind?"

Axios was simply silent. Krystal looked over her shoulder and noticed Axios was completely frozen.

"Well," One said, "maybe I should explain it then. My ship, the _Archangel_, has three different modifications. One of them is an advanced stealth drive that makes me invisible to radar. The second is a cloaking device, similar to Three. The last modification is-"

"A mini hyper drive." Axios said. "It allows him to warp his ship where ever he pleases within a small combat zone; much like a teleporter."

"So," Krystal said. "You snuck past the defense grid, and warped into the planet atmosphere."

One slowly bowed his head and grinned at the foxes.

"You are correct." One said. "My modifications are very valuable in combat to evade enemies; enemies such as yourselves."

Despite finally understanding how One's ship works, Fox was still on edge at the sight of One.

"I can have you arrested right now." Fox said as he was holding up Price's communicator. "I push this button, and the Cornerian military will be here in moments to arrest you."

"If you push that button…" One said as he was pointing to a button on his wrist. "Then I'll push this one, and the _Shroud_ will destroy an entire Cornerian city. The _Shroud_ is using the same stealth modifications as my fighter. The fleet has no idea that they are at the mercy of my weapon."

Krystal placed a hand on Fox's shoulder to calm him.

"He's telling the truth." Krystal said as she was reading One's mind.

Fox eased up his tension for a bit and kept his blaster pointed at One.

"What do you want One?" Fox asked.

"I came to deliver two things." One said. "The first is a warning, and the second is a message… For my brother…"

Axios's eyes widened and he felt a sense of nervousness rush through him. He had no clue as to what One could possibly deliver to him. However, he was willing to tempt fate to find out One's true intentions.

"What message…?" Axios asked. "What kind of message could you possibly give to me after everything you have done? You've sent me multiple messages, including taking the one most important thing that mattered to me."

"If you're referring to Luna and your child…" One said. "I personally did not order that raid."

Axios, Fox, and Krystal all froze in place.

"Bull shit!" Axios exclaimed.

"That raid on Katina was led by Four." One said. "He decided to take a little vacation and dragged Five and Six along with him. They are the ones that attacked the settlement, and they are the ones who caused your beloved's death."

"Then where were you?! Where were you when the fires started to spread? Where were you when the building was collapsing on top of me? Where were you when Luna died?!"

One lowered his head in a small feeling of shame and he was silent.

"I ordered Three, Seven, and Eight to stay with me aboard the _Void_." One said. "We punished Four, Five, and Six for that attack, and then we personally attended to you. Your burn wounds caught up to you when you docked with the _Void_ and you collapsed upon exiting your fighter. I was by your side as you were recovering. As for Four, Five and Six, they learned to never again fall out of line. You may have not noticed, but the days you spent recovering from your wounds they were being tortured for conducting a raid without my approval."

One lifted his head and look Axios in the eyes.

"I was always by your side when you lost Luna." One said. "Just like when mother and father were killed; I was by your side. Don't you remember Sargasso?"

Krystal and Fox were instantly reminded of the vision Axios was showing them before Krystal broke the link. Krystal looked over her shoulder to Axios.

"You said that the detective said the Crimson Ghosts were held up in Sargasso." Krystal said. "What happened after that?"

"You're a mind reader…" One said.

Krystal and Fox were both a bit shocked that One knew about Krystal's abilities.

"Don't look too surprised." One said. "Nothing can be kept from me when I have the mind to know it. I know all about you and the rest of your team. While my closest comrades were at a lack of intel, I was always aware. Go ahead and read our minds."

One sat in the grass and crossed his legs in a meditation position.

"Learn about our past. I'll wait." he said.

Krystal sheathed her staff while Fox still kept his blaster pointed at One. She turned around and placed a hand on Axios's forehead.

"Just relax." Krystal said.

Axios nodded his head and the two of them closed their eyes. Krystal was again viewing Axios's world from a third person perspective. This time, she could see Axios and Corvo in their personal fighters flying to Sargasso Station. However, their fighters were completely redesigned, and Axios and Corvo were both older than what Krystal had previously seen. Axios's fighter looked like his original dark _Nightshade,_ and Corvo's _Archangel_ was a similar dark colored ship. The _Archangel_ had six wings, two next to the cockpit and another four connected to the rear engines. It resembled designs similar to Star Wolf's _Wolfen II's_ that were used in the Lylat Wars.

Axios and Corvo both flew past the asteroid belt and they were quickly approaching the station. As soon as they were within range, the station called out to them.

"Hey strangers…" a blood hound said over the radio. "I think you two pups might be lost. Better split now before we get angry."

"We're looking for the Crimson Ghosts." Corvo said. "Where are they?"

"What kind of business do you have with the Crimson Ghosts?"

"That's our business." Axios said. "Not yours."

"I don't think you understand how this works." The blood hound responded. "Let me remind you how we do business in this zone."

After the bloodhound's response, a group of fighters exited the station and turned toward Corvo and Axios.

"Corvo!" Axios said.

"I see them." Corvo said. "Take them down. This is for mother and father."

Axios and Corvo sped towards the incoming fighters and engaged them in ship to ship combat. Despite their relatively younger age, they were more skilled that the pilots that were engaging them. Axios and Corvo split from their formation and drew the fighters along with them. Axios had several fighters trailing him and they were opening fire upon him. Axios slammed his foot on the brake pedals and the fighters sped past him. Axios then opened fire upon the fighters and shot them down with relative ease.

Corvo in the meantime was chasing down a fighter while being engaged from behind. He flew through several asteroids firing upon a fighter until he destroyed it. After a brief minute, Corvo out maneuvered his pursuers managed to get behind them. He locked on to one fighter and released a charged shot to destroy the craft. The resulting explosion caused the nearby fighter to be destroyed with it. After taking care of their attackers, Axios and Corvo took several pot shot directly on Sargasso Station.

"I won't ask again!" Corvo said. "Tell me where're the Crimson Ghosts are!"

"We'll blow up the whole god damn station if we have to!" Axios said.

"All right all right!" responded the blood hound. "Last trace of them was at Zoness. They said something about raiding a tanker ship. Now get lost will ya?!"

Axios and Corvo formed up on each other's wing and sped away from the station. At this point, Krystal removed her hand from Axios's forehead and looked again at One.

"You found out that they were in Zoness." Krystal said. "What did you do after wards?"

"We hunted them down," One said, "and we finished them. The last one of them was a man named Sorn. I took a great liberty in butchering him."

Krystal placed a hand on her forehead to read One's memories. She was viewing the scene from his perspective. Corvo and Axios were landing on a pad on top of a large tanker ship in Zoness. However, Krystal noticed that the ship was on fire and half destroyed. She noticed the wreckage of two fighters that had crashed on board the ship, and she noticed that the _Archangel_ and the _Nightshade_ had light damages throughout the hulls. It was apparent to her that there was a dogfight over the ship, but she could not see the details as One would not allow her to view those memories.

Corvo and Axios both hopped out of their fighters and started walking to a crashed fighter onboard the tanker ship. The fighter was still on fire and in complete ruins, but the pilot had not been killed on impact. Axios and Corvo followed a blood trail leading away from the wreckage and they found a bulldog crawling away with a wound in its side. Corvo pulled out a knife from his back and Axios pulled out a blaster from his side. As they approached the bulldog, they noticed it rolled over and pulled out a blaster and aimed at them. Axios fired his blaster and knocked the bulldog's blaster out of his hands.

"It's over Sorn." Axios said.

"You're going to pay for what you did…" Corvo said.

Sorn tried to stand up and run but Axios fired a round into his leg. As Sorn fell over, Corvo rushed him and placed a knife up to his throat. Sorn looked up at Corvo and grinned.

"Feels good doesn't it…" Sorn said. "All that anger… All that rage…"

Sorn took a deep breath and continued.

"Do it…" he said. "Finish me… I'm sure your parents would be proud of you know. Proud of their cold blooded, piece of sh-"

Before Sorn could finish his words, Corvo stabbed his knife into Sorn's throat and sliced open his wind pipe. Corvo stood over Sorn's corpse and looked down on him in hate. He turned and walked back to his ship and Axios joined him. Krystal removed her hand from her forehead and pulled out her staff again.

"He was helpless." Krystal said. "You could have stopped, but you executed him in cold blood!"

Fox tightened his grip on his blaster as his anger for One grew.

"He deserved his fate." One said.

Fox fired off a round in the ground right in front of One. One jumped backwards and instantly placed his hand on the button on his wrist as he shot an angry look at Fox.

"Do that again and the blood of ten thousand Cornerians will be on your hands." One said.

"You're simply a monster." Fox said. "A cold blooded killer with no remorse."

"Don't try to judge me. You've shot down many other pilots and killed them as well without even giving a second thought. You were no different when you sought Andross to avenge your father."

Fox felt a chill run up and down his spine. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he did want vengeance for his father's murder. Although Andross was the leader of the opposing army during the Lylat Wars, Fox did have a personal vendetta against him. Fox lowered his blaster and his head in a small feeling of shame.

"You and I," One said. "We're the same. "

"No." Fox said. "We're not."

Fox raised his head and stood tall in front of Krystal and Axios with a sense of pride.

"You're right." he said. "I also wanted vengeance for my father's death, and I killed the man responsible. However, don't even think that you and I are anything alike! You're a criminal, and you've killed thousands by attacking helpless fleets and defenseless settlements. And just like every criminal I've ever faced, I'll bring you down just like the rest. You can run and try to hide behind whatever technology you may have, but that won't save you. When the time comes, we will stop you; and you will answer for the crimes you've committed. What I'm saying to you is no threat; it's a promise."

One took a step back as if though Fox's words had drove fear into him. He didn't know how to respond, and he knew that Fox would bring the full force of the Cornerian military against him. He had lost the _Void_, he lost his six closest comrades, and he nearly lost the _Shroud_ too.

One turned away from Fox, Krystal and Axios and started to walk away. However, he quickly stopped in his tracks and turned to face the trio again.

"Axios." One said. "I had originally come to give you a warning and a message, but now I'll only give you my warning. I'll only say this once. Flee Corneria. You know what the _Shroud_ can do, and when the time comes, I will cast it over Corneria and darken this planet forever. Since you share my blood as my brother, I'll offer you personally this last chance to flee."

Axios stepped in between Fox and Krystal and stood in front of them.

"I'm not going anywhere." he said. "My place is here; in between you and the people of Corneria."

One was frustrated at Axios's response. He turned and continued to walk away and placed his hood back over his head.

"So be it." One said.

One stopped and looked over his shoulder at Axios one last time.

"Good bye, brother." One said.

Fox, Krystal, and Axios all watched as One disappeared behind a group of trees within the park. After a brief minute, they saw a black ship lift off from behind the trees. One looked down on them from the cockpit of the _Archangel_, and activated his cloaking and stealth modifications. One also pushed a series of button on his console which linked him to the _Shroud_. He placed in coordinates on his hyper drive and did the same for the _Shroud's_. After sneaking past the Cornerian Orbital Defense, One attached his ship to the _Shroud _and the two ships jumped towards Venom.

Still partially shaken from the encounter, Axios started to walk away from Fox and Krystal. He lowered his head trying to hide a small tear that was brewing in his eyes.

"Axios?" Fox asked.

Axios stopped in his tracks.

"I just lost the last thing I valued in this world." Axios said. "Corvo may be a convict, but he's still my brother. He's the only family I have left."

"Axios…" Krystal said. "You understand that he needs to be stopped right?"

"I know but…"

Fox and Krystal walked up to Axios and they both placed a hand on his shoulders. Axios felt some slight relief from the gesture, and he lifted his head back up.

"You're one of us." Fox said. "To us, you're just as close as family."

That last statement sent a chill up and down Axios's spine.

"Family…" Axios said as he turned and faced the two. "Family is worth fighting for."

Axios smiled at Fox and Krystal. He felt joy within his heart once more, and was ready and willing to continue the fight again.

"Ok…" Axios said. "I'll do it. I'll face him and stand by your side once again.

Fox and Krystal both smiled at Axios.

"Let's get back to the ship." Krystal said.

"The next place we're going to," Fox said. "Is Venom."

"Then let's do this." Axios responded.

Fox signaled Price to bring a car over the communicator. After a few minutes of waiting, Price pulled up by the park and picked up the trio. As they were being driven back to the air way, Peppy and three fleet commanders were being escorted to the air way as well. They were within a large limousine style hovercraft with Cornerian police escorts. Within the vehicle, Peppy activated his communicator and called Fox.

"Fox," Peppy said. "It's Peppy, do you read?"

Fox pushed a button on his wrist communicator and answered Peppy's call.

"How are you doing old timer?" Fox asked.

"I've had better days." Peppy said.

"Already miss flying with us like Lylat Wars?"

"Well I was younger back then so I definitely miss those days."

Fox chuckled at Peppy's comment.

"So what's up Peppy?" Fox asked.

"Where are you right now?" Peppy asked.

"I'm about to board the _Great Fox_ with Krystal and Axios. The rest of the team is on board just relaxing."

"Gather your team in the _Great Fox's_ conference room. I'm with Commander Steele, Roberts, and Toran. There's something we need to discuss and I wanted to have this meeting aboard the _Great Fox_ with you and the team."

"Will do."

"See you then. Peppy out."

Fox silenced his communicator and Price had arrived at the air way. Fox, Krystal, and Axios all dismounted Price's hovercraft and said their good byes. After a brief minute, they were back aboard the _Great Fox_. Fox told Krystal and Axios to go straight to the conference room while he went to the lounge to find the rest of the team. As he opened the lounge door, he noticed that there was no one there. Fox was puzzled at first but then he went to the bridge. As the doors opened he found the rest of the team simply sitting down and conversing.

"Hey guys, I'm back." Fox said.

"Hey Fox!" Slippy said.

"Did you find Axios?" Amanda asked.

"Yea, we found him…" Fox said in a low tone. "We also found One."

The team instantly stood from their seats and they were in shock.

"ONE WAS HERE?!" Slippy asked.

"Yea." Fox said.

"Are you kidding me?" Falco asked. "How did that moron make it through Cornerian defense?"

"You let him get away?" Katt asked.

"Easy! Easy…" Fox said as he raised his hands. "I'll explain everything later. Right now Peppy is on his way with three fleet commanders and he wants us all to meet him in the conference room."

"What's going on?" Amanda asked.

"I think we're about to head into an all-out war."

"Wait," Falco said. "You're saying that…"

Fox nodded his head at Falco.

"We're finishing this." Fox said. "We're going to Venom."


	22. The Best Laid Plans

_Hello Star Fox fans! Just want to give you guys very big thanks for all the reviews you guys have been writing. I appreciate all the feedback and all the suggestions and I hope my story is as enjoyable to read as it is for me to write. Here is the next chapter for you all. Leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

22. The Best Laid Plans

~Cornerian police closed off the air ways and surrounded the _Great Fox_. Security was the priority for the military as four of their top leaders were gathered in one location. The Star Fox team was a bit on edge as they saw all the security surround their ship. They weren't used to all the armed officers patrolling around the ship and the air way. Within the _Great Fox's_ conference room, the team was awaiting the arrival of Peppy and his three commanders. The team was gathered on one side of a large rectangular table. There was a monitor on the wall behind them, and there were several more mounted onto a wall behind the other end of the table. To kill the time, Fox was explaining the situation of One's surprise encounter in the park.

"So you're saying One was here just to talk to Axios?" Amanda asked.

"It seemed to be that way." Krystal said.

"He only warned him to flee Corneria." Fox said. "Although he was supposed to deliver a personal message, but he never did that."

"What would he even say?" Katt asked.

"I'm not sure." Axios responded.

"And his ship can become virtually invisible to radar and sight?" Slippy asked.

"That's right." Fox said.

"Now that's just crap." Falco said. "The coward can only come out and fight when he's invisible."

"Not necessarily." Axios said.

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked.

"One may have all of those modifications, but his ship cannot adequately power the weapon systems and the modifications at the same time."

"Meaning what exactly?" Katt asked.

"I mean he'll have to deactivate both his cloaking and his stealth drive before he can fire his lasers. Turan Heavy Lasers do require more power compared to other conventional lasers, which is why they're so deadly." Axios responded.

"What about his warp drive?" Fox asked.

"Since that's part of his engines, and uses the least amount of power compared to the other two modifications, he can use that with his weapons whenever he pleases." Axios said.

"That'd make him hard to shoot down." Krystal said.

"Great…" Falco said. "Another target that won't hold still."

"Hey!" Slippy said. "Just fry him with the disruptor canons I mounted on your ships and that won't be a problem!"

"Always excited about those aren't you…?" Amanda asked.

"It's not often I get awesome new toys from dad anymore so I cherish what I get."

The team chuckled at Slippy's last comment. After a brief minute an officer entered the conference room and notified the team that Peppy and the commanders would arrive shortly. Fox motioned everyone to take a seat as the officer was leaving. Soon after, Peppy, and Commander Toran, Steele, and Roberts entered the room and immediately took a seat.

"Nice to see you all in one piece." Peppy said.

"Like wise gramps." Falco said.

Peppy motioned his three commanders to stand and face the team. Other than Toran being a hare, Steele was a raccoon, and Roberts was a boar.

"Team," Peppy said, "I'd like to introduce you to Commanders Bryan Steele, and Kurt Roberts. I'm sure you already know Commander Roux Toran."

"I'm sure they do." Toran said.

Toran noticed Axios sitting in a chair to the side of Fox.

"I've been told you're behaving…" Toran said to Axios.

"I try to." Axios responded. "How are you feeling, Commander?"

"A lot better. Thanks for asking."

"Um… May I ask you something…?"

"I meant what I said that day. You're helping us against the Black Suns. Whether I like it or not, you deserve respect, and I'm more than willing to give it to you."

Axios let out a small sigh of relief.

"I appreciate it Commander." Axios replied.

Toran, Steele, and Roberts took their seats and Peppy continued.

"Well, nice to know that's taken care of." Peppy said. "Now, here's the situation."

Peppy stood from his seat and pressed a series of buttons on a console next to the monitors. A series of images of the planet Venom appeared on screen, and coordinates were highlighted on the planet surface.

"We've tracked One's escape to Venom." Peppy said. "Based on the information we have collected, we have concluded that his armies and resources are in his headquarters in Venom."

"Our latest drone scans of the area have pinpointed his headquarters at this location." Steele said as he was pointing to the highlighted location in one of the monitors.

The team studied the monitors and noticed that the marker was in the middle of a toxic, Venomian ocean.

"Our spy drones have also shown that the base is a large floating fortress." Roberts said. "It floats over the toxic oceans and is continuously moving throughout the planet. Although it moves at a slow pace, the size of this base is massive. It is the largest mobile fortress the Cornerian military has seen up to date. It is protected by a very powerful shield, strong enough to repel the strongest weapons our military has, and unfortunately the shield generator is not on the exterior of the base, meaning we can't destroy it form the air."

"We're gonna need bigger guns…" Falco said.

"Or take it down from the inside." Slippy said.

"Why not both?" Peppy asked.

The team was stunned at Peppy's response.

"What are you thinking Peppy?" Fox asked.

"We came here to share our plan of attack with you." Peppy said. "We've dubbed it Operation Clean Sweep. However, this will not be as simple as it may sound."

"We're all ears gramps." Falco said.

Peppy walked around the table and pressed some buttons on a few of the monitors. The team noticed there was a simulation of blue and red ships within Venom's orbit.

"The plan is this." Peppy said. "The commanders and I will take our respective fleets and engage the enemies on a brute force push right through their orbital defenses."

The blue and red ships were exchanging fire between each other.

"However, this will only be a distraction." Peppy continued. "I want your team to move in to Venom in advance and find the fortress. We'll keep the remainder of their fleets occupied while you hunt down and eliminate the base."

The team smiled and nodded at each other in agreement.

"However," Peppy said, "given the patrol routes that the remaining ships use around Venom, there is only one way for your team to approach the planet without drawing the rest of the fleet."

"And that is?" Fox asked.

"Why don't you think back a bit…?"

The team was silent until Slippy jumped from his seat.

"AREA 6?!" Slippy exclaimed.

"Say what now?" Falco asked.

"You want us to go through Area 6 to infiltrate Venom…?" Fox asked. "Peppy, you flew with me through that mess. You know how risky it is, why now?"

"It is because Area 6 has the lowest concentration of Black Suns presence." Peppy said. "The last few remnants of Andross's forces are accompanied by a few Black Suns frigates. It is the least defended space zone around Venom. If you moved quickly, you can approach the planet faster than you could by taking any other route."

"What makes you think that the soldiers at Area 6 won't sound off an alarm to the rest of the fleet?" Krystal asked.

"Because our fleets will be pounding at their front door as you move through keeping the rest of their ships away from Area 6. Even if they sound an alarm, they can't divert their fleets away from ours without taking heavy losses." Peppy said. "It just so happens to be that Area 6 is on the opposite end of orbit from the base. That is why it's the least defended space zone around Venom."

The team sat back in their chairs to ponder on what they were about to do. While they successfully passed through Area 6 during the Lylat wars, they remembered how difficult it was to break through the Venomian's multiple lines of defenses; even the Gorgon presented them with a difficult challenge.

"If it gets us to Venom and closer to ending this war…" Axios said. "I think it's worth the risk."

"Come to think of it," Falco said, "we're going in there with seven fighters instead of four. Blowing by those jokers will be easy."

"And with the _Great Fox_ supporting," Amanda said, "we should be fine."

Fox leaned forward in his seat as he was filled with confidence.

"We'll go through Area 6 and slip behind the Black Suns' defenses," Fox said, "but what about the base itself? You mentioned something about taking it down from the inside and out."

Toran stood from his seat and walked to a monitor behind him. He pushed a few buttons and the image of a large bomb appeared on screen.

"What you're looking at is the product of five years of research from the Cornerian Defense Force." Toran said. "We call it the Hades Bomb, and this is only one of five in existence. It carries a destructive payload of 125 megatons, more than capable of destroying any structure or fortress the Black Suns try to hide behind. "

Falco's eyes started to water at the sight of the biggest bomb he had ever seen.

"That…" Falco said. "Is a modern art master piece…."

"Oh jeez…" Katt said.

"Isn't that kind of payload pushing it?" Krystal asked. "We want to destroy the base, not the planet."

"Venom had already been deemed inhospitable due to its toxic oceans, its oxygen lacking atmosphere, and barren surface." Steele said. "Nuclear fallout is not a major concern for anyone in the military, and there is no collateral damage to be calculated."

"I can't help but wonder if dad had a hand in that…" Slippy said.

"Actually Slippy," Peppy said, "your father was one of the project leads."

"Big surprise there." Falco said.

"How would we deliver the bomb?" Krystal asked.

"The Hades Bomb will be delivered via rocket." Toran said. "However, we cannot deliver it unless the shield is lowered."

"Which brings us to the final phase of this plan." Peppy said. "After you guys navigate Area 6, you're going to infiltrate the base and bring its shield down. As soon as it's down you will flee the base and radio the fleet to deliver the bomb."

"How are we supposed to get into the base?" Katt asked. "I highly doubt they're gonna just let us land in their hangers and roll out the red carpet."

Axios stood from his seat and faced the team.

"I can get you in." Axios said. "I know how the Black Suns work, and if there's something else I know is that sometimes security can be a bit… Lacking…"

The team looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"So we start off by flying though Area 6…" Katt said.

"Fight our way through a bunch push overs…" Falco said.

"You guys keep their fleets distracted…" Slippy said as he was gesturing to Peppy.

"We slip into Venom…" Amanda said.

"Get into their base…" Axios said.

"Shut down the shield…" Krystal said.

"Then you guys drop the bomb, and this war is over." Fox said.

Peppy and the three commanders nodded their heads. Even though everyone was in agreement and ready to act, Fox still had a small sense of doubt.

"There's a lot in this plan that can go wrong…" Fox said. "We lose the bomb, or if the fleets come back and find us in Area 6; we're going to be in trouble."

"I will be delivering the bomb in my personal destroyer." Toran said. "The rest of my fleet will be providing cover along with General Hare's, and Commanders Roberts and Steele's fleets."

"There's just one more problem…" Katt said. "What about the _Shroud_?"

"Corvo will not risk it in a fleet battle." Axios said. "However, that doesn't mean he won't use it."

"What do you mean by that?" Fox asked.

Axios placed a hand on his chin and tried to think. He tried to reflect on Corvo's habits throughout the war so far. He fled the fleet battle, fled Corneria hiding behind the power of the _Shroud_, and Three through Eight have all been killed. After a brief moment of thinking, Axios came to a conclusion.

"He won't bring it to orbit." Axios said. "He'll target and fire from the within the planet's atmosphere. He could pick the fleet apart one by one by firing from the planet surface."

"In that case," Krystal said, "We'll have to split up the infiltration team."

"Ok," Fox said, "Axios, Krystal, and I will infiltrate the base while Falco, Katt, Slippy, and Amanda focus down the _Shroud_."

The team was in agreement and the commanders agreed as well.

"Then it is settled." Peppy said. "We'll launch Operation Clean Sweep tomorrow. You should all get some rest; you're going to need it."

"We'll be ready." Fox said.

"Best of luck to all of us. This meeting is adjourned."

Peppy and the three commanders said their good byes and left the conference room followed by several officers. After a few minutes, the security detail escorted them away from the air way. The team had the _Great Fox_ to themselves once again, and they all started to go their separate ways. Katt and Falco went the bridge to relax, Slippy and Amanda found ROB and they went to the hangar bay to work on the fighters, Axios simply went to an observation room at the top of the ship, and Fox and Krystal simply roamed the halls together.

"Fox…" Krystal said.

"Yea?" Fox asked.

"I know what you're thinking. You think there's a chance some of us might not be coming back."

Whether Fox wanted to admit it or not, there was still a small sense of doubt within him. He stopped walking and took a deep breath. He looked at Krystal and lost himself at her image. He loved the sight of her, and in a way it brought relief to his doubts. He gently took her hand and brought her close to embrace her. Krystal held him tight and gently rested her head on his shoulders. She loved the feeling of being held by Fox, and Fox in turn loved the feeling of being held by Krystal.

"This will be one of the toughest missions we'll ever go through…" Fox said. "But with everyone's help, I'm sure we'll pull this off."

"Then why are you worried?" Krystal asked.

"After almost losing you on Katina, I went crazy. I couldn't handle the thoughts of losing you. More than anything, I just want you to be-"

Before Fox could finish, Krystal wrapped her arms around Fox's neck and pressed her lips onto his. The two embraced the moment of a passionate kiss, and soon all of Fox's doubts had vanished.

"I'm safe when I'm here with you." Krystal said. "Don't make the same mistake you made before the Anglars. Don't cast me aside fearing for my safety. As long as I'm with you, I don't care about the danger. I'll face it with you, and we'll handle any problem together."

Hearing those words brought new life in Fox. He held Krystal even tighter than before and embraced the moment.

"I love you Fox…" Krystal said.

"I love you too Krystal…" Fox said.

Enjoying their moment aboard the _Great Fox_ brought peace to them, and the rest of the team was making peace with themselves. Their environment was calm and filled with tranquility. However, on the opposite end of the Lylat system, there was a troubled mind within in a rampage. Within the toxic planet of Venom, aboard a floating fortress above a toxic ocean, One was at war with his thoughts and with his face buried in his hands. He was alone within a large, circular room with only one light illuminating himself from the ceiling above him. He was sitting in a large chair in the center of the room trying to understand all the events that had transpired in his wake. But of all the things he was thinking about, there was something that was eating away at his being more than anything.

"Axios…" One said. "Axios… Axios… Axios…"

One grabbed the sides of his head tightly and started to lose control of his anger.

"AXIOS!" he said. "WHY? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?!"

One sat back in his chair and placed his hands on his face.

"Why…" he said. "My own brother… My baby brother… Why did you betray me…?"

One gently lifted his hands off his face and looked at their mechanical features. He noticed that some of the fingers were twitching and that his arms were shaking. One stood from his chair and walked over to the side of his room. He took off his robe and placed it on a hook on the wall. He loosened up his mechanical arms and legs and took a deep breath.

"Computer," One said. "I need maintenance."

Following his words, all the lights within the room turned on, and the chair sank into the floor. A series of mechanical arms came from the walls and floor, and a large circular disc was lowered from the ceiling right in front of One. He reached for a pair of grips on opposite ends of the disc and grabbed onto them. Machinery surrounded his arms and a set of hooks locked them in place. Afterwards, he stepped into a set of boot sockets at the bottom of the disc. Another set of hooks locked his feet in place.

As soon as his body was locked in place within the disc, The disc was suspended in the air and One was rotated facing the ceiling. The mechanical arms started reaching for One's limbs and were performing maintenance. One by one, a set of arms with surgical needles attached to them were injecting fluids into a layer of tubing beneath the exterior of his limbs. Another set of arms were mending damages done to the exterior plating s of his limbs. After a few minutes, the disc rotated One forward so the he was face down. One last arm came down with a needle and targeted the back of One's neck.

"Computer." One said.

The arm stopped in its tracks.

"Don't miss." One said.

The arm then gently stabbed the needle into the back of One's neck and started to inject red fluids into him. One could feel pain coursing throughout his body, and he was straining himself to manage the pain. A second felt like an hour to him, and he could only wait until the machine was done with the process. As One continued to cope, he could only remember the amount of times he needed maintenance.

Soon, he started to remember flash backs of a very painful moment in his life; a moment that would give him scars that would never heal.


	23. Parting Ways

_Hello Star Fox fans! I give to you another chapter of the Black Sun story. Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

23. Parting Ways

~Troubled minds continue living troubled lives. Ever since they got their revenge for their parent's murder, Axios and Corvo turned to the life of a bounty hunter. They quickly made a name for themselves while hunting down criminals across the Lylat system. They abandoned any ideas of living a quiet life as they were committed to their new line of work.

Within the planet of Papetoon, Axios and Corvo were living in secret within a safe house they built on the outskirts of a city. It was there they continued to train in hand to hand combat and improve their piloting skills; and to live their lives without the comfort of a loving mother and father. At the moment, there was a storm over the skies of Papetoon, and Axios and Corvo were sitting within a lounge within their safe house. They spent the time counting the money they have earned from their careers.

"How much this week?" Corvo asked.

"Fifteen thousand credits." Axios said. "Plus the five thousand bonus for bringing him in alive."

"Poor dog must be turning in his grave."

"The grave that they made him dig."

"That's for sure…"

Corvo walked over to Axios and took half the amount of credits that they were counting. He put his half into a safe while Axios placed his half in a separate safe. The two looked out a window as a large thunder clap shook their safe house.

"Storm's getting pretty rough…" Axios said.

"Tape up the windows." Corvo said. "The walls will hold fine, and we've got the tools to fix any damages."

Before Axios could leave the room, the two of them received a call on their private communicators. Corvo pointed Axios to a computer on top of a desk and he tossed him an ear piece. Axios placed the ear piece in his ear and pressed a series of button on the computer. He established a trace between Corvo and the caller. Axios gave Corvo a thumb up and Corvo answered his ear piece communicator.

"Hello?" Corvo asked.

"Mr. Faxton…" the recipient said. "I've been looking forward to doing business with you for some time."

"Is that so… and who might you be?"

"You can simply address me as Mr. Black. I have a business proposition for you."

Corvo looked at Axios. Axios shook his head side to side signaling that Axios could not trace the call.

"What kind of proposition?" Corvo asked.

"One that suits the skill set that you and your little brother provide." Black said.

"You seem to know a few things about me. If there's something else you should know, is that I'm not to be screwed with. If you know me so well, then you should also know what my little brother and I are capable of."

Corvo looked at Axios again and Axios shook his head. There was still no success in tracing the call.

"I am well aware of your capabilities." Black said. "And I can assure you, I am not here to test your patience."

After a brief moment, a message flashed on Axios's computer. Axios gave Corvo a thumb up as he located the source of the caller. Corvo walked over to the desk and looked at the monitor. He found out that Black was calling from a military office in the Cornerian capital.

"Well, Mr. Black…" Corvo said. "I'm listening."

"To continue further," Black said, "I believe it would be wise to meet; face to face."

"Seems fair, but meeting you in person seems to look like a challenge."

"What makes you say that?"

"If you're calling form the Cornerian capital, I don't think security will take the appearance of rogue bounty hunters very well."

"Which is why I have forwarded coordinates to you directly. The rest of this meeting will be discussed in person. I will be seeing you, very soon."

The line was ended from Black's end of the call. Corvo slowly removed his ear piece and looked at Axios. Axios looked at Corvo and turned his computer around so Corvo could see. He was looking at coordinates to a remote factory in Titania.

"I don't like this." Axios said. "This guy is a Cornerian higher up. I think this is a set up."

"You could be right." Corvo said. "But this goes to show how messed up the Cornerian military could be. Why would they need to hire bounty hunters?"

"Only one way to find out really."

Corvo paced back and forth within the room to make up his mind whether or not to meet Black at the location. He didn't like this kind of set up. The normal clients were simple gang members that needed a gun for hire, but Corvo and Axios never thought they would have a Cornerian military man as their client. They could feel treachery, and they did not want to risk it.

"No." Corvo said. "We won't do it."

"Yea." Axios said. "I agree."

Axios powered down and closed his computer and walked over to a bedroom. He stretched his arms and lied down in one of the cots while Corvo simply stood next to a wall looking out a window. All Corvo could see was a horizon littered with rainfall and storms. He lost himself a bit at the sight, but he quickly snapped back into his senses as he felt something off. He looked out the window and saw a faint image of a ship quickly approaching them.

"Axios," Corvo said. "Come here."

Axios stood from his cot and joined Corvo. He noticed the ship right away and was confused.

"Just a straggler?" Axios asked.

"I'm not sure." Corvo responded.

After a brief moment, they saw the ship fly right over their safe house and the resulting fly by shook the safe house and alerted Axios and Corvo.

"That's no straggler!" Axios said.

"Get below and gear up!" Corvo said. "We got problems."

Axios ran back to his cot and flipped it over. He opened a trap door underneath and he jumped down. Corvo ran to the other side of the safe house to look out the window to get a better look at the fighter. He saw it turn around and noticed it was barreling right towards the safe house. The fighter opened fire upon the house and Corvo quickly ran for the trap door. He jumped down and the safe house was fired upon and virtually destroyed. Corvo was sliding down a chute until his feet hit the ground in a large underground hangar. He saw Axios gearing up in his combat suit along with his blaster and knife.

"So…" Axios said.

"I think we've been found out." Corvo said with a sarcastic smile.

"How many?"

"Just one, but there could be more."

"Time for a little fun then?"

"Oh yea."

Axios and Corvo finished gearing up and they approached their ships. The _Nightshade_ and the _Archangel_ were docked side by side within their underground hangar. Axios and Corvo boarded their fighters and readied their systems.

"Axios?" Corvo asked.

"Let's do this." Axios responded.

Corvo pushed several buttons and a door in front of them opened. They were both looking at a light at the end of a launch tunnel.

"Exit path, clear." their on board computers said. "Launching in 3… 2… 1…"

As soon as the computers timer struck zero, both the fighters were shot out of the tunnel and into the air. Axios and Corvo quickly found their attacker and they both engaged it in combat.

"There he is." Axios said.

"Who does this guy think he is?" Corvo asked.

"We're about to find out."

Axios and Corvo formed up on each other's wing and they chased down their attacker. It didn't take long for them to get behind their target. As they were firing upon their target, Axios was carefully scanning the attacking craft.

"That ship is Cornerian." Axios said.

"Cornerian?" Corvo asked. "Why are they attacking us?"

Axios fired off another round and struck the Cornerian fighter in the wing. Corvo fired off another round and struck the fighter in the engine. After a brief moment, the fighter's second engine had a blow out and the ship made a crash landing. Axios and Corvo circled the down fighter and hovered over it. Axios activated his spot lights and was aiming them at the cockpit of the Cornerian fighter. They saw a jackal crawl out of the cockpit and started to crawl away from the wreckage.

"Corvo?" Axios asked.

"Let's go say hi." Corvo said.

Axios and Corvo landed their fighters and they dismounted from them. They saw the jackal slowly crawling away and they were simply walking up to it.

"That's a pretty serious blood trail." Axios said.

"Meaning he doesn't have long." Corvo said.

After a brief minute, Axios and Corvo caught up with their attacker. The jackal reached for a blaster on the side of its belt but was stopped when Axios pulled out a blaster and shot the ground right next to the jackal's hand.

"You have a lot of courage." Corvo said as he walked in front of the helpless jackal. "So don't waste it. Who sent you?"

The jackal looked up at Corvo and attempted to stand. Axios came up behind the jackal and kicked him in the back of the knee forcing him to kneel in front of Corvo. He reached towards the jackal's side and took his blaster away. Axios pointed his blaster at the back of the jackal's head and had his other hand on its shoulder.

"What's your name?" Axios asked.

The jackal was silent.

"Answer him." Corvo said.

After a deep breath, the jackal spoke.

"Cain." the jackal said. "My name is Cain."

"Cain…" Axios said. "Like my brother said, you have a lot of courage. I respect that in pilots; even in the face of death you don't hold back."

"However," Corvo said, "even in the face of death it is still foolish to not flee. So, I'm going to ask you again; who sent you?"

Cain lowered his head and took a deep breath.

"I was sent by a man named Mr.-"

Before he could finish, a sniper round came suddenly from the side and struck Cain in the head. Axios and Corvo both jumped to the side and took cover behind the wreckage of Cain's fighter.

"Can you see him?!" Axios asked.

"No! Can you?!" Corvo asked.

Axios gently looked over the wreckage and saw a black figure running away. He waved Corvo to come and so he did. Axios and Corvo both watched as this black figure ran a short distance and disappeared. They were both puzzled at the chain of events that have just transpired in their wake.

"What do you think?" Axios asked.

Corvo walked away from the wreckage and looked at the safe house. The house was completely destroyed and there was nothing left but ruins.

"Looks like we're going to Titania." Corvo said.

"Corvo…" Axios said.

"Look, we have nowhere to go now; not to mention we just lost our savings. We're going to have to work for our money back."

"I still don't like it." Axios said. "Cain said "Mr." before he got sniped. You think Black sent him?"

"I'm not sure. But we're about to find out."

Axios and Corvo approached their fighters and mounted them. They brought their ships into the atmosphere and into the Papetoon orbit. They circled the planet until they found a jump station within orbit. Axios and Corvo docked their ships into a pod and placed the coordinates they received from Black. After a brief moment, the hyper pod slowly drifted away from the jump station and soon jumped into hyperspace towards Titania.

Within a few minutes, the brothers were in orbit over Titania. They left the hyper pod floating in orbit and they brought their fighters into the atmosphere.

"So where's the factory?" Axios asked.

"I'm sure it'll come up soon." Corvo responded.

Within a few moments, Corvo spotted the factory within the distance.

"There it is." Corvo said.

Axios and Corvo brought their ships into a low altitude hover around the factory. They were investigating it and they noticed that there were no signs of life present.

"Looks deserted." Axios said.

"There's a part on the roof that's missing, and there are several ruined walls too." Corvo said. "I'm sure this placed was abandoned and left to the sand."

"Let's put them down."

"Right."

Axios and Corvo lowered their ships to the ground and they dismounted them. The two approached the factory with their weapons ready and waiting. Axios kicked down the front door and the brothers pointed their blasters throughout the room.

"Clear left." Axios said.

"Clear right." Corvo said. "Be careful."

Axios and Corvo were moving through the factory with extreme care. They were checking their corners with their weapons ready for another ambush. They did not want to repeat the events that happened on Papetoon. After a few minutes, Axios and Corvo found an intersection within the hall way that lead to two different directions.

"Corvo?" Axios asked.

"I'll take the left." Corvo said. "Stay in radio contact. Signal for help if you need it. Understand?"

"Got it."

"Stay safe bro."

Axios and Corvo both split up at the intersection. They were both on edge as they did not like to be separate. Although they were two of the best trained bounty hunters in Lylat, they valued each other's aid more than anything.

Axios continued down his hall way until he reached a set of stairs that went up. He pointed his blaster and noticed nothing. He continued up the stairs hugging a wall. However, after a brief minute of walking he heard something behind him. Axios quickly turned and pointed his blaster behind him. However, he saw nothing.

"Corvo…" Axios said into his ear piece.

"Yea?" Corvo asked.

"I don't think we're alone."

"You heard something too?"

"Yea."

"This is a set up, and I don't like it. Find the factory's control room. We'll meet up there. And bro…"

Corvo was looking down a hall way and noticed a group of Sand Leapers; a race of brown reptilian like creatures with two strong front limbs with long sharp claws, a muscular torso, and an long slender tail instead of legs.

"Move quickly, and watch your six." Corvo said.

As Axios continued to move throughout the factory, Corvo slowly stepped away from the sand leapers. However, as soon as he turned around to face the other direction, he was staring into the eyes of a sand leaper. The creature was hanging upside down from the ceiling and snarled at Corvo. It opened its mouth and revealed dozens upon dozens of razor sharp teeth. Corvo eyes widened at the sight and he was frozen in place with the leaper's loud roar.

"Grandma…" Corvo said. "What big teeth you have…"

The creature dropped from the ceiling and leaped towards Corvo. Corvo dove underneath it and fired off several rounds of his blaster at the creature impacting it on its torso and head. As he killed the leaper, the sound alerted the others and Corvo was now running through the factory halls.

"Axios!" Corvo called out.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the factory, Axios was in the control room trying to force the door shut with his back to keep out another pair of leapers.

"I know!" Axios said as he was struggling. "I think I figured out what happened here!"

Corvo was running down the halls firing off his blaster at the leapers. Although he killed a few, many more came in its place. Corvo reloaded his blaster and continued to run and gun.

"Where are you?!" Corvo asked.

Axios fired off several rounds at the leapers trying to come into the control room. After another minute of struggling, he was able to shut the door and barricade it using tables and crates he found in the control room.

"I'm in the control room." Axios said.

He quickly turned as he heard loud banging against the control room door.

"But these guys want in too!" Axios said as he continued to barricade the door.

"Stay there!" Corvo said as he was running. "Do not try to leave! Understand?!"

"What about you?"

"I got an idea."

"Corvo wait-"

Corvo cut the line as he continued to run. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the leapers were jumping from ground to wall to ceiling and so on. He could not kill the ones that were chasing him and was running low on ammo.

Corvo managed to find the factory's reactor room. He was able to get inside and seal the door and barricade it shut using several crates and a nearby table. He could hear pounding on the other side of the door but the leapers could not make it through his barricade.

Corvo turned and faced the factories reactor. He approached it and noticed that the reactor was shut down. Corvo found a set of controls and he approached them.

"Axios," Corvo asked, "you still in one piece?"

"Yea." Axios said. "They gave up, don't know why. Where are you?"

"I'm in the reactor room. I'm going to restart the reactor and I want you to remotely over load it from the control room."

"Whoa, that'll blow this place sky high."

"Got any better ideas to get rid of these leapers?"

"Guess not."

Corvo walked over to a terminal with a red lever over it. He pulled the lever and activated the factory's reactor. After a brief minute, Axios and Corvo both heard machines operating, and Axios saw all the consoles within the control room light up with new life. Axios quickly started working with the consoles and found the reactor controls.

"Um… Corvo?" Axios asked.

"Hit me." Corvo said.

"You're not going to like this. The computer says that if we over load the reactor to detonate we'll have five minutes to clear the blast radius."

Corvo's arms dropped in disappointment.

"Damn…" he said. "All right, do it then."

"What? Are you serious?" Axios asked.

"Yea do it. Over load the reactor and we'll meet up in the sky."

"Corvo, are you-"

"Just do it Axios! Trust me, I'll be fine."

Axios froze for a moment and panicked. He couldn't decide what to do until he heard more banging on the control room door. Axios reached for the consoles and accessed the reactor controls. He set the reactor settings above the safety thresh hold into an over load state. After a brief moment, the factory alarms started to sound off, and Axios backed away from the console.

"Got to get out of here…" Axios thought.

He turned and noticed that the leapers were clawing their way through the door. One of them managed to stab its arm through the door leaving a hole. Axios walked up to the door and started to fire round through the hole. He continued to fire until the leapers on the other side were dead. As Axios opened he door to look down the hall way, he heard the factory's loud speakers sound an alert message.

"Alert! Alert!" the loudspeakers said. "Reactor overload. Critical system's failure. Detonation imminent. Crew has 4 minutes to reach minimum safe distance."

Axios started to sprint down the hall way back towards the factory entrance. However, Corvo was still trapped in the reactor room and leapers were starting to break through his barricade. He loaded his last magazine into his blaster and braced himself for the end.

"Corvo?!" Axios called out. "Corvo where are you? I'm moving towards the exit. Where're you at?"

"I'm still in the reactor room." Corvo said. "And according to this I only got another three minutes."

"All right, I'm coming for you then."

"No, stay away."

Axios froze in his tracks in the middle of the hall way.

"Say what?!" Axios asked.

"Get out of here bro." Corvo said. "Get as far away as you can."

Axios started sprinting through the halls trying to find the reactor room to save his brother.

"Fuck that!" Axios said. "I'm not leaving you here to die!"

"Axios don't be stupid!" Corvo said. "They're too many leapers, and-"

Corvo was silenced as he heard another bang on the reactor door. The leapers had smashed the door off the door frames and were reaching out to Corvo.

"Sorry Axios." Corvo said. "Got to go."

"Corvo! Wai-"

Corvo silenced his communicator and put his last clip into his blaster. He looked to the ceiling and noticed that the reactor room had a hole in the roof.

"How about that…" Corvo said. "Light at the end of the tunnel."

Corvo faced forward and saw the leapers darting at him. He fired off several rounds before being tackled by one of them. As he fell to the floor, he dropped his blaster and pulled out his knife to fend off the remaining leapers. They were hacking away and biting at his corpse and Corvo could only attempt to push them off of him. Despite being attacked, he looked up and noticed a black figure looking down upon him from the roof top. This figure had a rifle and was firing several rounds at the leapers on top of Corvo. As the leapers started to fall to the ground dead, Corvo's body was severely ravaged. Before Corvo would black out from the severe blood loss, he could see the fain image of a wolf repelling down from the roof and grabbing him.

With only one minute to spare, Axios turned away from the reactor room and darted towards the factory exit. As he exited the factory he looked back and noticed a group of leapers were following him outside. Axios ran towards the _Nightshade_ and quickly got in. He sealed the cockpit preventing the leapers from attacking him. As he took off, he slammed his foot on the boost pedal and brought the ship away from the factory. After a brief moment, the reactor detonated and the resulting blast wave violently shook the _Nightshade_.

After the shaking was over, Axios turned back to the factory and noticed a large mushroom cloud over ground. He felt a tear brewing in his eye as the thought of losing Corvo started to sink into his mind.

"Cor… vo…" Axios said. "No…"

To break his tension, Axios received a call from an unknown ship within the area.

"Who is this?" Axios asked.

"Your brother is alive, but barely." a voice said.

"What?! He's alive?! Where is he?! Who are you?!"

"Who I am is not important. If you want to see your brother, go to these coordinates and wait for our contact."

Axios looked at his radar and noticed that there was no ship being registered. However, he saw a ship in the distance fly away into the clouds and disappeared. Axios pressed several buttons in his console and noticed that he had received a new way point. The coordinates that were forwarded to him were leading him Corneria. Axios pressed another button on his console and he activated his tracer. He could not track the unidentified ship that was contacting him, and he had already lost it visually.

With little choice left, Axios chose to take a chance to see his brother again. He brought his fighter back into orbit and docked with the floating hyper pod. He punched in the coordinates that were given to him, and the hyper pod had jumped towards Corneria.


	24. One

_Hello Star Fox fans! Thanks for taking the time to read my story, and for especially reading this far. I appreciate all the feedback (I say that a lot but you know I genuinely mean it), and also appreciate the suggestions you are all making. Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

24. One

~Fearing for his brother's safety, Axios quickly made haste to Corneria. He didn't think twice about the fact that he was a notorious bounty hunter trying to slip by the Cornerian Space Defense; he wanted to see his brother. As the hyper pod came out of its jump, Axios detached his ship and started to fly towards Corneria. Immediately upon arriving, he received a transmission from the same mysterious caller form Titania.

"Seems like you've come after all…" the voice said.

"Where is my brother?!" Axios asked.

"You'll see him soon enough. He's alive, so don't worry your head over him."

"What am I to do?"

"Just follow me. All will be explained in time."

"How can I follow you if I can't see you?"

To answer his question, Axios saw a fighter come from behind him and form up on his wing. To his surprise, it was the _Archangel_ that was flying alongside him. He looked to the side and saw the figure of a wolf sitting in the cockpit.

"That's my brother's ship!" Axios said. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Relax pup…" the wolf said. "You want to see your brother, then follow me and stay close."

The wolf pilot veered the _Archangel_ away from Axios and Axios followed. the two fighters were casually flying through the Cornerian Space Defense with no interruptions. Axios was confused as to why the Cornerian frigates were not questioning or firing upon them.

"What gives?" Axios asked. "Shouldn't they be firing upon us?"

"It's because these ships are on my boss's pay roll." the wolf said. "They won't fire on us."

After a few more minutes, Axios and the wolf brought their fighters into the Cornerian atmosphere. The wolf led Axios towards a small air way on the outskirts of a Cornerian city.

"We're landing there." The wolf said.

After another brief minute, the two ships were landing in the air way. As Axios landed his fighter, a group of hounds and soldier robots surrounded his fighter.

"Dismount your ship!" one of the guards said.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Axios asked.

"From here on out," the wolf said, "no more questions. Understand?"

Reluctantly, Axios agreed. With a chance to save his brother, he followed his orders. He opened the cockpit and jumped out of the _Nightshade_ onto the ground. The guards immediately surrounded him and Axios lowered to his knees and placed his hands on his head. He was looking around the guards waiting for something else to happen but they simply remained still.

After a brief moment, the wolf approached Axios. The wolf was tall, had black fur, and a white stripe running down the side of its left eye. He was wearing a black armored flight suit and had a two blasters on his sides and a knife strapped to his boot.

"Time to move." the wolf said. "Get up and start walking."

Axios stood on his feet and was immediately disarmed by one of the guards. After he was stripped of his knife and blaster, another guard shoved Axios forward and forced his to walk. A group of guards remained behind to guard the _Nightshade_ while the wolf and another group of guards led Axios towards a small building off the air way. The wolf placed his hand on a scanner and a set of double doors opened revealing an elevator. Axios was grabbed from behind and his hands were bound together by a set of hand cuffs. As the group entered the elevator, Axios looked one last time at his ship and took a deep breath the thought that his life was coming to an end was beginning to sink in.

The elevator descended for a few minutes before finally coming to a stop. The doors opened and Axios was shoved out of the elevator. The wolf and the rest of the guards followed behind Axios and the group led him down a long hall way.

"I'll take him from here." the wolf said. "Give me his weapons."

The guard that disarmed Axios gave the wolf his blaster and his knife. The wolf then placed a hand on Axios's shoulder and guided him to a set of black double doors. To Axios's surprise, the wolf actually removed his cuffs and gave him back his blaster and knife.

"One piece of advice." the wolf said as he placed his hand on a scanner. "Be honest. He knows many things; more than you can imagine."

The double doors opened and the wolf simply stood at the entrance. Axios took a step forward into a large, darkly lit room and the doors closed behind him. He looked around and noticed that the room was circular with a single chair within the middle. He also noticed a figure sitting within the chair; however, he could not see the figure's face as there was a light directly above it shadowing its face.

"Axios Faxton…" the figure said. "It's good to see you in one piece."

Axios was confused at first as he was told not to ask questions. However, he was speaking to a different person so he decided to speak regardless.

"Am I allowed to ask questions?" Axios asked.

"You're allowed to speak." The figure said. "As far as questions, I will only answer the ones I deem fit to tell you."

Axios started to slowly approach the figure.

"Then I'll start with this." Axios said. "Who are you?"

"I am known by many names…" the figure said. "Some call me death. Others call me salvation. To my subordinates, I am known as Mr. Black."

Axios froze in his place. He was looking at the man who had sent them to the factory where they had almost been killed. Axios's anger took the best of him and he drew his blaster and pointed it at Black.

"You're Black?!" Axios asked. "You're the one who had me and my brother sent to that god damn death trap! You also sent that Cornerian pilot to assassinate us! And you-"

"I did not send that pilot." Black said.

Axios was silenced at the comment.

"What?" he asked.

"That pilot was sent by one of my enemies." Black said. "He knew I would come to you and your brother, and therefore he tried to eliminate the two of you."

Axios continued to approach Black to get a better view. However, before he could closely approach him, Axios was walking up to a glass wall between him and Black. He looked at Black and noticed that he was actually a rat. Black was also quite old, and was relying on a set of cybernetics implanted into his to prolong his life span. His hair was white, and his whiskers were long and hanging down the sides of his nose. He was wearing a black, hooded robe with white decals throughout the body. On top of the black hood, there was also a white, jagged edged ring which carried some meaning as far as Black's robes (_cover photo any one? :D_).

Black looked up at Axios from his chair and stared into his eyes. Axios noticed that One of Black's eyes was glowing red, and the other eye was actually blue.

"Does my appearance surprise you?" Black asked. "Do I look that old in your eyes?"

"You look like you've had better days…" Axios said. "That's for sure."

Black actually chuckled at his comment and slowly stood from his chair. He stood roughly a foot and a half shorter than Axios. Axios noticed several bundles of tubing coming up from the ground into the back of Black's robe.

"I have lived for nearly two centuries now…" Black said. "I have seen the birth of an empire, and the fall of many others. I have seen star bring life to systems light years away from Lylat. I have seen the rise and fall of kings themselves. But if there is one thing that I have not seen yet, it is the fall of corruption; too long corrupt politicians sit on their thrones of power, and misuse their privileges. For too long I have been watching and been able to only do nothing. My time is coming soon, and I have yet to leave my mark in this world of corruption."

Black walked up to the glass wall and pointed his wrinkly old hand at Axios.

"That is why I need your help." Black said.

"Before I do anything," Axios said, "I want to know about my brother. Where is he? Is he all right?"

Black reached into his robe and pulled out a cane. He slowly walked to the side and tapped his cane on the ground twice. A section of the wall to Axios's side rotated and revealed a monitor. Axios walked over to the monitor and saw Corvo within a surgical room. He saw Corvo unconscious under a set of bed sheets and an oxygen mask over his face.

"Corvo…" Axios said.

"Your brother is being cared for as we speak." Black said. "The leapers that attacked him had severely damaged his body, and he will require extensive surgery to be treated."

Black noticed Axios's shoulder drop and his face turn to shock.

"Do not be alarmed." Black said as he walked back towards his chair. "If your brother's resolve is as strong as his strength, he will do just fine."

Axios walked back over to the glass wall and faced Black.

"All right." Axios said. "What do you want with me?"

"What I said last time we spoke." Black said. "I have a mission that will require your skills. Since you brother is currently incapacitated, you will carry out this mission with my agent, Lester."

Right on cue, the double doors opened behind Axios and the black wolf entered the room.

"You and Lester will carry out this assignment." Black said. "He will be your comrade in battle, and your brother in arms. Listen to him, and have him also listen to you. I am depending on your success."

Lester walked up and joined Axios.

"Forgive me for your treatment upon entering this place." Lester said. "But I had to make sure you followed orders."

Axios was reluctant to offer his forgiveness. However, he took a deep breath and held out his hand.

"Fine." Axios said. "You're lucky I didn't snap your neck when you approached me up top."

"Uh-huh…" Lester said as he shook Axios's hand.

"Before I do any mission, I want to know what's in it for me and my brother."

"Upon your success, you and your brother will be given a purpose once more. We will provide you with shelter, security, and the needs of survival. In return you will become one of us, an agent against corruption that will strike against its heart."

Axios was stirred by Black's words. Black made it seem like he wanted Axios to become a freedom fighter. Axios paced off to the side and thought about it hard. It was the first time ha had to make a major decision for him and his brother. They were being offered a place to live, a line of work, and the cause seemed to be pure. He thought about what Corvo would say, and he remembered something Corvo told him in the past when they first became bounty hunters.

"For better or worse…" Corvo said. "We need to take the opportunities when they come because if we let them slip by; we'll never experience the life we could have had."

Axios turned back towards Lester and Black.

"I'm speaking for my brother when I say this." Axios said. "We'll do it. We'll stay here and fight alongside you. You keep your word, and we'll keep ours."

Black and Lester smiled at Axios for the decision he made.

"You will not regret your decision." Lester said.

"On one condition." Axios said.

"Name it." Black said.

"This base seems to have very tight security, and the people looked at me with some unsatisfactory gestures. I want free access to this entire base for me and my brother. Furthermore I want respect from your men. If I'm going to live my years fighting for this cause, I want to be treated like family."

Lester looked at Black and Black nodded his head at Lester.

"You'll be given full access." Lester said. "And you can meet the rest of the team as well."

"Team?" Axios asked.

"I have five other agents that joined my organization under similar circumstances as you." Black said. "All of them alone with no place to return to for shelter. I offered them a home and purpose, and they accepted just like you. With the latest edition of you and your brother, I now have eight elite trained soldiers by my side."

"Eight of us huh? And what exactly is this organization called?"

"We are known as the Black Suns; the guardians of Lylat and all her people."

"The Black Suns…"

That name sunk into Axios. After a brief minute of contemplating his choice he was filled with hope and joy. He had found a purpose in his life and he found a new group of people he and his brother could rely on. For the first time, Axios felt safe as if he had people to care about and people who would care about him.

"All right, what's the mission?" Axios asked.

Black returned to his seat and sat back down. He raised his cane into the air and a series of monitors appeared on the walls around Axios and Lester. They saw images of a Cornerian officer and images of a ship in orbit over Corneria.

"This man is Captain Lloyd." Lester said. "He's going to be our first target."

Axios started to read the information presented to him on the monitors. He learned that Lloyd was being paid off by bounty hunters for their ease of access in and out of Corneria's orbit. The fact that credits was buying his loyalty rather than respect and honor was insulting in the mind of Black.

"This is simple corruption at the surface." Black said. "The Cornerian military is no longer suited to govern Lylat. They have been tainted with officers who abuse their privileges, and they do nothing to prevent the corruption from spreading."

"We're going to kill him?" Axios asked.

"We will do what we must to prevent the corruption from spreading."

Axios was silent. However, he had killed many people in his career as a bounty hunter.

"All right." Axios said. "Where do we find him?"

Axios and Lester looked over the information for several more minutes. After they were ready for their mission, the left the room and Black was alone. After a brief minute, Black pushed a button on the arm rest of his chair and his chair started to move to the opposite end of the room from the entrance. He pushed another button and the wall in front of him started to rise. Black was now looking through a glass wall into a brightly lit room. He was looking into Corvo's operating room. Black pushed another button on his chair and spoke.

"Status." he said.

A hare approached the glass wall.

"He has severe cuts and gouges throughout his body." The hare said. "We can't save his arms and legs meaning they'll have to be replaced. There are also severe cuts throughout his chest and one of his eyes had been gouged out. He's simply luck to be alive at this state."

"He's no good to me like this." Black said. "I am authorizing the use of cybernetics to save him. I want him combat ready within a week."

"It may take longer. There is also severe neuron damage and he still needs to recover from shock. He may not-"

"Maybe I wasn't clear. Replaces his limbs with mechanical ones, apply cybernetics to his chest where needed, and give him a new eye. I want him ready in one week."

"Very well."

The hare returned to Corvo's side and waved the doctors over. He pressed several buttons on a console in the wall and a set of robotic arms came down from the ceiling with blades and utility tools. Black watched as the arms one by one started to work on Corvo with the doctors' aid. After a few minutes, Black could hear Corvo scream within the room. His screaming could echo throughout the entire room and the doctors could not put him out at the moment. He had to endure the pain as he was receiving his first treatment of maintenance.

A week had gone by, and Axios was well immersed in the business of the Black Suns. He had befriended Lester, and had become well acquainted with the rest of the elite team. One day, he was summoned to Black's circular throne room. As he arrived, Lester handed him a black robe with the same decals and design as Black's. Lester and Axios entered the darkly lit room and noticed five other wearing similar robes. Black was standing in the middle as the other five made a circle around Black. Lester guided Axios to his spot around the circle, and then went to his. After wards, Black started to speak.

"The time has come." Black said. "The Black Suns have come to the strength it requires to combat corruption in Lylat; eight men strong to light the cleansing flames."

"Eight men?" asked one of the hooded figures.

Black pointed his cane at the figure that spoke.

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

"Frederick Keen." The hooded figure said.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Eight."

Black pointed figure standing next to Eight.

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

"Alex Lester." Lester said.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Seven."

Black pointed to the next figure.

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

"Tyler Cook." The figure responded.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Six."

Black pointed to the next figure.

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

"Kotar Reverant." the figure said.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Five."

Black pointed to the next figure.

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

"Jason Murray." The figure said.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Four."

Black pointed to the next figure

"What is your name...?" Black asked.

"Alphonse Trace." The figure said.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Three."

Black then pointed at Axios

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

Axios was hesitant at first. He didn't think he'd be initiate into a secret society with such high esteem such as this ritual. However, he looked at the others as family, and continued on with the ceremony.

"Axios Faxton." Axios said.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as Two."

Black then pointed to a figure that was approaching them from the shadows. This figure also had the Black Suns robes, and joined the other seven in the circle. No one knew who this figure was, but Axios felt something familiar about his prescence.

"What is your name…?" Black asked.

"Corvo Faxton." Corvo said.

Axios froze as Corvo turned his head to face Axios. Corvo smiled at Axios and Axios felt a tear brewing in his eye. Corvo placed his hand on Axios's shoulder to calm him.

"I'm proud of you." Corvo whispered.

Axios smiled and then returned his focus back to Black. He even noticed Black smile at the two brothers and he continued his ritual.

"Forsake your name. You are now a memory, hidden away in shadow. When in the light, you will be known as One."

Black lowered his cane.

"We are the Black Suns." he said. "Agents hidden within the shadow, and guardians of Lylat. We will rid the system of corruption and strike down the Cornerian military that feeds it. Together, we will bring order, and rebuild Lylat with ourselves at its head. We will resurrect Lylat and become its rulers, and then our empire will expand above and beyond."

The eight men standing around Black kneeled before him.

"We are the Black Suns." Black said. "Agents of the shadow, and guardians of Lylat. The men in this room are now brothers, and will fight as one. With our sword, we will destroy corruption. With our shield, we will protect our family. With our lives, we will share our trust. And with our skills, we will achieve greatness."

The eight men stood again.

"You are all now Black Suns." Black said. "As of this moment, we take out steps towards eliminating corruption.

With the ritual now complete, the eight pilots of the Black suns had been initiated. Axios and Corvo took time to catch up, but Corvo never told Axios about his implants. Black had instructed him to never let Axios know what was done to him, and to never reveal his true self to Axios. The memories continued to encircle Corvo's mind with every session of maintenance he would need to manage his cybernetics.

With the needle injecting fluids, One continued to scream within the room. The pain was agonizing, and until the final drop of red fluids was inside him he would continue to endure his pain. After a brief moment, the needle had finished and the pain had seized. One started to pant slightly and the mechanical locks that held him in the disc released him. He was dropped onto his hands and knees and his flashbacks ceased to continue. One's hate of those flashbacks returned to him and he raised his chest and looked up.

"AXIOSSSSSSSSS!" One said.

One started to repeatedly pound the ground and his pounding left a crater in the ground. However, his anger ceased when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"The pain…" the voice said. "The pain will never stop. They are like battle scars, and they will never fade."

One stood from the ground and walked to the wall on the other end of the room from the entrance. As he walked, the mechanical arms retracted back into the ceiling and the lights started to turn off behind him. One reached for the wall and pushed a button. He watched as the wall rose into the ceiling and he was looking through a wall of glass. The room was a darkly lit cell with a red black light. One looked at the black robed figure sitting in the center of the cell completely motionless. He also looked at the tubing that came from the ceiling and the ground and went into the figures back.

"Your anger must never get the better of you, One." the figure said. "For your brother is not your greatest enemy; your greatest enemy lies within you."

One lowered himself and kneeled before the figure.

"Master Black…" One said. "Forgive me."

Black looked down upon One. He was physically incapable of moving, and the tubes connected to his back were feeding him the nutrients and medicine he needed to survive.

"One by one our brothers have entered the void" Black said. "And the Cornerian military remains in control of Lylat. This can no longer remain a reality."

"No it can't." One said. "And I will make sure the military will shatter."

"My spies indicate that the military is coming to Venom to destroy us. Protect the _Shroud_, and protect the base. I am counting on you. Once you have destroyed the fleet, take the _Shroud_ to Corneria and use it to destroy the planet's capital city."

One stood in front of Black.

"Destroy the Cornerian military." Black said. "Destroy Star Fox. And if you must, destroy your little brother."

Black waved his arm at One and One left the room. War was coming, and the time came to prepare. The assault on the Black Suns was about to begin.


	25. Closure

_Hello Star Fox fans! Another day and another chapter. Sorry about these delays, but school is become a bit more tedious than normal. I present to you the next installment in the series. Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

25. Closure

~The team spent the next day after the meeting attending to their equipment and themselves. They were going to Venom, and they would pass through Area 6 to get to their final objective. Although the war to them was nearly over, they had doubts. The entirety of the Black Suns forces was in Venom, and they were simply feeling a bit on edge.

Slippy and Amanda were working on the fighters within the hangar of the _Great Fox_ with ROB. They were performing maintenance on the fighters since the last major conflict they had over Fortuna.

"Hey Amanda…" Slippy said.

"Yes?" Amanda responded.

"When this is over, we're going on vacation. Maybe back to Aquas to enjoy the nice beaches and tropical sun."

"And maybe have some peace and quiet."

"I would give anything for that right about now…"

"Same here."

"ROB, what's the status on the armor of the _Arwing II, Cloud Runner, and Nightshade_?"

"Depleted uranium armor installation will be complete within 6 hours." ROB said.

"They're the last three fighters right?" Amanda asked.

"Yea, I already reinforced the other four. We'll be able to take a lot more punishment now." Slippy said.

Amanda and Slippy walked towards an elevator within the hangar and went to the upper deck. They saw that the _Arwing II_, _Cloud Runner,_ and _Nightshade_ were all docked on the upper deck while the _Bullfrog, Tadpole, Sky Claw,_ and _Cat's Paw II_ were docked on the lower deck.

"Times like now," Amanda said. "I wonder how Fox is able to do the things he does."

"Fox is the toughest man, and greatest friend I've ever had." Slippy said. "He always knows how to handle each situation, and he is the greatest leader I've ever seen."

"What was it like flying with him during the Lylat Wars?"

"We were all a lot younger back then, that's for sure. But despite his age, he was more determined than anything. He was just a bit on edge as he wanted revenge for his father's death, but Falco, Peppy and I always kept his spirit up."

Slippy leaned back and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh man…" Slippy chuckled. "I can't remember the amount of times he's saved my butt from getting shot down during those days. I was hoping to be more of an asset rather than a burden."

Amanda came up to Slippy and held his hand.

"You're surely not a burden now." She said. "I can promise you that."

Slippy smiled at Amanda and Amanda smiled at Slippy. The two gently brought their faces together and shared a kiss between them. They simply remained in each other's company in the hangar mending the fighters. Further up the _Great Fox_, Falco and Katt were in the lounge enjoying some coffee amongst the two of them. They were sitting opposite of each other at the counter.

"You know, Falco…" Katt asked.

"What's up?" Falco asked.

"You remember Titania, when you went to save me after I sent my distress call?"

"You always needed a good rescue every so often back then."

"You once told me that I didn't need you; that I was a big girl and that I needed to handle things on my own."

Falco took a deep breath as those memories quickly returned to him.

"I remember. What about it?" Falco asked.

"I just wanted to tell you something…" Katt said.

Katt took a deep breath and walked around the counter. She reached out to Falco's hand and gently held it. Falco was a bit on edge about the situation, but Katt's touch had felt too soothing for him to pull his hand away (which was a relief to Katt that he didn't).

"I need you…" Katt said. "I came to Corneria to find you and hopefully tag along with you for a while. You've always been there for me and I just want to be there for you."

Despite his history of recklessness and his ego, Falco was actually shaken by Katt's words. He always felt an attachment to Katt as Katt had an attachment for him. He couldn't turn her away at this moment, and her hand holding his simply felt too soothing.

"Well…" Falco said. "I wouldn't mind having you tag along for a while."

Katt smiled at Falco, and Falco brought his arm around her to hold her close. Katt held him close and gently leaned her head on his shoulder and Falco gently had his arm around her shoulder. The two simply stayed with each other in the lounge enjoying their time together. On the other side of the _Great Fox_, Axios was in his room leaning up against the wall and looking out the window over the Cornerian air way. He was pondering his thoughts about his experiences leading up to this moment.

Despite everything that has happened, he had a thought to himself that he thought he would never have.

"Corvo, what if you just gave up the Black Suns…" Axios thought. "What would it take for you to leave One behind and be Corvo again…"

Axios walked away from the window and sat down at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and simply immersed himself in his thoughts. He thought about his time fighting with Corvo while they were working for the Black Suns. However, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in." he said.

To his surprise, he saw Krystal as the door slid open. Axios's eyes widened at the surprise he locked gazes with Krystal.

"Krystal?" Axios asked. "Um… How can I help you?"

"Can I come in?" Krystal asked.

"Uh, yea sure."

Krystal walked over to Axios's desk and sat across from him.

"I wanted to ask you something…" Krystal said.

"I'm listening." Axios responded.

"It's about Luna."

Axios took a deep breath and relaxed himself.

"Let me guess…" Axios said. "I've told you everything there is to know about here except one thing…"

"How exactly did you two meet?" Krystal asked.

Axios sat back in his chair and brought his hands together. He took a moment to ponder his thoughts and then he looked at Krystal.

"I can show you." Axios said.

Axios leaned forward in his chair and he brought his head closer to Krystal. Krystal reached out to Axios's forehead and gently pressed her fingers upon it. The two closed their eyes and Krystal started seeing Axios walking through Katina. He was walking through a crowded street within a market district in Katina. After a brief moment, Lester came up on his side.

"Hey, Two." Lester said.

"What is it Seven?" Axios asked.

"We're moving in three hours. One wanted me to let you know."

"Where's the target?"

"He's on the other side of Katina in a colony on the outskirts."

"All right, I'll meet you all back at the ships. I'm going to enjoy my down time a bit longer."

"Sure thing. See you later."

Lester walked away from Axios and disappeared into the crowd. Axios continued on through the street until he saw something that caught his eye. He saw a beautiful, silver vixen walking through the street alone. He stopped in his tracks as her image enchanted him. She briefly looked at Axios and made eye contact with him. It was as if her eyes had pierced his heart, and he was completely frozen. She was dressed in black pants and a black shirt with a dark silver jacket covering the rest of her attire.

"She's… Beautiful…" Axios thought.

To put an end to his fantasy however, he noticed three wolves following her and baring grim looks on their faces. Axios saw the vixen look over her shoulder and quicken her pace and the wolves did the same. It was clear to Axios that there was something about to happen, and therefore he followed the wolves.

The vixen quickened her pace and turned around the corner. There were more people and she was getting more and more frightened. She walked another block and turned into an alley attempting to hide from her pursuers. However, she found that the alley was a dead end. She turned back to leave the alley but her escape was cut off by the wolves. The three of them slowly approached her with intent to harm, and one of them pulled a knife out of his jacket.

"I'll make this simple." a wolf said. "Give us everything, or we'll carve it out of you."

"I have nothing!" the vixen said. "I never took anything! I swear!"

"Not good enough sweet heart." the other wolf said.

"Looks like we're doing this the fun way." the third wolf said.

The three wolves ran to the vixen and grabbed her. She struggled to get free and kicked one of the wolves in the groin. She broke free from the other's grip and slapped him across the face. However, as she tried to run, the third wolf grabbed her arm and pulled her in close. She tried to scream but the wolf covered her mouth.

"You're going to regret this…" the wolf said.

"Or enjoy this." the second wolf said.

Two of the wolves brought her to a corner and held her against the wall. One of them held a knife up to her throat while the other two started reaching for her waist.

"We've got a wonderful piece of ass, that's for sure." one of the wolves said.

"After you." the second wolf said.

The wolf reached around to the vixen's front and started to undo her belt. Realizing what was about to happen, the vixen struggled even more.

"No!" the vixen said. "Please! Don't!"

"Just relax…" the wolf said. "This will feel go-"

The wolf was silenced as a blaster round went right through his head. Its corpse fell lifeless to the ground and the other two wolves were in shock. They looked at the alley entrance and saw a black figure pointing a blaster at them.

"I'm only going to say this once!" Axios said. "Let her go!"

"You killed our friend…" the second wolf said. "I'll kill you!"

The wolf's anger had set in and it charged Axios. However, Axios simply fired his blaster again and put another round straight through the wolf's head. As the second wolf fell to the ground lifeless, the third wolf grabbed the vixen and stood behind her. He placed a knife up to her throat and hid behind her using her like a shield. Axios approached the wolf while aiming at its head.

"That's close enough!" the wolf said. "This chick and I are walking out of here. Put the gun down or she dies!"

Axios simply aimed down the sight at the last wolf. However, he locked gazes with the vixen and was again enchanted. He temporarily shook the thoughts out of his head and he looked back at the wolf.

"I said drop the fucking g-"

The wolf was silenced as Axios seized the moment to achieve a head shot. The wolf's head had a large hole through the forehead and the wolf simply fell backwards onto the ground. The vixen was left there standing in complete shock, and was frozen.

Axios holstered his blaster and gently held his arm out at the vixen.

"It's ok…" Axios said. "My name is Axios, what's your name?"

The vixen was still fearful, and she slowly stepped away from Axios.

"Hey listen to me." Axios said. "I'm not going to hurt you, ok? I swear to you that I'm not going to hurt you."

The vixen stopped moving backwards and stood still. She looked down to the ground and she sank to her knees. Axios quickly rushed to her aid and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, hey…" Axios said. "It's ok… No one's going to hurt you…"

Axios gently placed his hand on her cheek to lift her face and the two of them locked stares again. This time, Axios's stare sparked something within the vixen, and she felt beyond safe.

"Tell me your name…" Axios said.

"Luna…" the vixen said. "My name is Luna."

"Luna, you have a very beautiful name; very beautiful. Listen, are you all right?"

"Yes… I'm fine…"

Axios looked down at Luna's waste and noticed that her pants were partially undone. He also noticed her jacket on the ground behind her. He quickly stood and retrieved her jacket and placed it around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Listen," Axios said, "I know I'm a complete stranger, and you have every right not to trust me; but let me take you home. It's not safe out here for you, ok?"

Luna took a deep breath, and lowered her head.

"Ok." Luna said.

"Ok, let's go." Axios said as he gently brought Luna to her feet.

Axios held her close as the two of them started to walk out of the alley. Luna took a moment to fix her pants. When she was ready to move, the two of them entered the street and disappeared amongst the crowd. Krystal took this moment to remove her hand from Axios's forehead and to take a break from reading his memories.

"You and Luna seem to have a lot in common with Fox and me." Krystal said.

"How?" Axios asked.

"When I first met Fox, he actually saved my life from a pretty drastic fall in a planet called Sauria. He even used my staff, and I was pretty surprised that he had it. I will admit I was a little rude upon standing on solid ground because I took my staff back, and I forgot to thank him."

"Well, sometimes we forget the little things in the heat of a moment."

"Why was she attacked?"

"There was a gang of thugs that were trying to collect a tax pay from people that lived around their area. They would go door to door demanding payment or they would kill the residents. When they went to Luna's door, she couldn't pay; so she ran."

"What happened to the thugs?"

"I called Lester and told him about the situation. He and I found their hide out and found their leader. I did what I had to do for Luna and for the people as well. After we were done, I made Lester swear not to tell the Black Suns about Luna. I didn't want to put her in harm's way."

Those words brought some feelings within Krystal. The memory of Fox forcing her off the team soon returned to her, and she made a fist with her hands. Axios noticed the gesture, and was initially confused.

"What's the matter?" Axios asked.

"You have a lot more in common with Fox than I thought." Krystal said.

"What do you mean?"

"You know I used to fly with him, right?"

"During the Apparoid Invasion? Yea, what about it?"

"Before the Anglar Blitz, Fox forced me off the team because he said he was concerned for my safety. I was beyond furious with him and he broke my heart. With nowhere to go, I ended up joining Star Wolf and I had a minor relationship with Panther."

Axios could see her frustration. He gently reached over the table and took her hand. What shocked Krystal was that Axios's touch was as soothing as Fox's, and she felt a sense of relief from her anger.

"You can't blame him for wanting to keep you safe." Axios said. "He just wanted to protect you, because at the time, whether or not he could admit it, he loved you."

Krystal's frustration left her, and she felt more relief that anything. She smiled at Axios and stood from her seat. Axios also stood and he walked around his desk to approach her.

"Sometimes," Axios said, "a man has to go to the extreme to protect the one's he loves. Fox never wanted to see you get hurt, and he cared about you more than anything."

"It just hurt when has asked me to leave." Krystal said.

"Fox is the bravest and most compassionate person I've ever met. The fact that he asked you to leave while he handled the danger on his own meant that he values your life more than his."

Krystal was a bit moved by Axios words, and she smiled as she felt a tear brewing in her eye.

"Thanks for letting me see Luna." Krystal said. "And, thanks for saying that about Fox…"

Axios smiled at the sight of Krystal being happy.

"You remind me of her." Axios said. "You have the same smile as she does a smile that any guy would love to see."

Krystal's face gently blushed red and she came up to Axios to embrace him.

"Thanks." Krystal said.

"Any time." Axios responded.

Krystal left the room and went searching for Fox. She found him in his office and she noticed that his office was a complete mess. She was a bit shocked to see two broken monitors on the floor and papers scattered everywhere. What surprised her more was that she saw Fox simply sitting at his desk reading from a data pad.

As soon as Fox realized that Krystal had entered the room, he was shocked and fell back in his chair. He quickly got up on his feet and looked at Krystal.

"Krystal!" Fox said. "Oh god… Um, I can explain this!"

"Better be a good one…" Krystal said as she looked at his mess. "What happened?"

Fox took a deep breath and walked over to Krystal.

"That day on Katina…" Fox said. "When that bomb went off… I saw you disappear behind the flames through the security monitors."

Krystal felt a chill run up and down her spine as memories of that day returned.

"I was about to go searching for you, but the Black Suns fleet had arrived." Fox continued. "When I got back in this room, the thought of losing you drove me insane. I ended up throwing a bit of a fit in my office, and well you can see-"

Fox was silenced as Krystal grabbed his arm and embraced him. She held him tight and Fox in turn held her tight as well.

"You went crazy because you thought you lost me…" Krystal said.

"If I had lost you…" Fox said. "I probably couldn't live my life in peace."

"I wouldn't be able to live my life in peace either…"

Fox and Krystal gazed into each other's eyes and they were both enchanted at the sight of the other. The two of them smile and they gently gave each other a kiss.

"More than anything in my life, I want to keep you safe." Fox said. "Sometimes, I just lose it when anything happens."

"Well," Krystal said. "From now on, you won't have to worry about that anymore. I need you, and I always want to be with you. And regardless what happens, I'll always be with you."

Fox and Krystal held each other more tightly. Krystal took a moment to look about his office and she made a choice.

"You can stay in my room for the night." Krystal said. "At least my bed isn't completely destroyed."

Fox looked over his shoulder and saw that his bed was overturned and the bed sheets were torn.

"Yea…" Fox chuckled. "I would appreciate that."

Krystal guided Fox to her room, and in doing so she felt something spark inside her. Fox noticed that she was walking differently in a rather seductive manner. When the two got to her door, Fox came up behind her and gently took her hand. He held her close and Krystal turned to hold him as well. When they locked stares with each other, Fox pressed his lips upon hers. The two slowly walked into Krystal's room and they locked the door behind them. After a few moments, Fox found himself on top of Krystal's bed and Krystal on top of him. She reached for Fox's waist and lifted his shirt over his head. Fox reached around Krystal's waist and did the same, and they continued to make love with each other.

They were left alone to do what they pleased, and they wouldn't be bothered by anything in all of Lylat. The night was the perfect night for the Star Fox team, and they felt more at peace with themselves. The mission to Venom would be tomorrow, and they had all the strength they needed. As for Fox and Krystal, they shared something that would bring to them the blessing of a new generation to come.

The team had what they each needed for the final mission, a reason to fight, and the motive to win. With doubt no longer in their minds, they were ready.


	26. Through the Abyss

_Hello Star Fox fans! Double wammy for chapters today! I had classes off so I decided to pump out another chapter for you all. Star Fox is coming, and it looks like the Black Suns are up against wall with nowhere to go. Things are getting heated, but will the team make it home in one piece? Leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

26. Through the Abyss

~Within the bridge of the _Great Fox_, everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting for the ship to come out of its hyperspace jump. Tensions were high amongst the team as they were about to enter Area 6 for the first time in 14 years. Although the remnants of Andross's forces were accompanied by a minimal number of Black Sun ships, the team never forgot the chaos of navigating Area 6 during the Lylat wars.

"ETA" ROB said. "Two minutes."

"I never thought I'd see the day of going back into this mess." Falco said.

"Oh man…" Slippy said. "This places brings back memories; many of them bad."

"I've heard you guys had a rough time through here." Amanda said.

"And you had even bigger problems when the Gorgon was deployed." Katt said.

"Taking that thing down wasn't as easy as I'd hoped it would be." Fox said. "Getting there in the first place was just as tough. We had to break through three lines of defensive fleets, and they seemed to fancy their missiles more than anything."

"At least you made it through all right." Krystal said.

"Look at it this way." Axios said. "We have seven qualified pilots and fighters to handle the job."

After another brief moment, the _Great Fox_ came out of the hyperspace jump and the team was on the perimeter of Area 6. There was silence among them as flash backs of Area 6 quickly surged through the minds of Fox, Falco, and Slippy.

"All right guys, this is it." Fox said. "We've been fighting for this moment, and we're nearly at the end of the road. We pull this off, we destroy their base and this war is over."

"There won't be that much fun after this war is over you know." Falco said.

"A little bit of peace never hurts, Falco." Krystal said.

"Guess not…"

"Enemy presence detected on scanners." ROB said. "A patrol is approaching the _Great Fox_."

"Then let's give them the traditional Star Fox welcome!" Slippy said.

"Every one to your ships." Fox said.

Just like that, the Star Fox team darted out of the bridge and straight to the hangar bay. One by one they mounted their fighters and ignited their engines.

"ROB," Fox said, "we're ready."

"Ship locks released." ROB said. "Launching in three… two… one…"

Just as ROB's countdown struck zero, the seven ships were launched out of the hangar and straight towards Area 6.

"Here we go again." Fox said.

Approaching the Star Fox team was a small squad of Venomian class fighters joined by a squad of Black Suns fighters.

"This is team 3." a pilot said. "We're investigating the anomaly, shouldn't take-"

The pilot was destroyed before he could finish his transmission, and the rest of the fighters next to him were all destroyed midflight.

"Team 3?" a hound said. "Team 3 do you copy?"

"Team 3 is finished." Falco said. "You're next…"

"Dammit! Defensive action!"

The Star Fox sped right into Area 6 with guns blazing. The defense fleet had spotted them on long range scanners and deployed fighters to destroy them. Falco, Katt, and Axios broke off in one group to engage the incoming fighters while Fox, Krystal, Slippy, and Amanda flew straight through the middle to engage a series of defense platforms.

"These guys have definitely been busy!" Falco said as he was chasing down a group of fighters.

"Just watch your tail bird boy!" Katt said.

Falco looked over his shoulder and realized that he was being followed by a pair of enemy fighters.

"Damn, am I getting slow?" Falco asked.

After a brief moment, the two fighters were shot down from the side and Falco saw the _N__ightshade_ speed right past him.

"Not slow," Axios said jokingly, "just lacking skill."

"Oh it's on now!" Falco called out.

Falco chased after the _Nightshade_ and Katt eagerly followed the _Skyclaw_.

"Hey!" she called out. "Wait for me!"

While the trio was engaging the fighters to ease pressure, Fox and his group were blazing through a series of space mines and a few remaining Umbra-class defense stations. There were also a minimal amount of fighters harassing their approach.

"You figure that they'd learn that these defenses didn't work the first time!" Slippy said as he and Amanda were shooting down an umbra platform.

"Then let's be thankful that they're not that smart." Amanda said.

Krystal banked off to the side and seized the opportunity to shoot down an umbra platform.

"Platform destroyed." Krystal said.

"Krystal, watch your back!" Fox said.

Krystal noticed a trio of enemy fighters behind her and she tried various maneuvers to evade her pursuers. However, she was unsuccessful.

"Fox!" she said. "I need some help!"

Fox wasted no time getting behind Krystal's pursuers. He charged up a laser round and fired at the fighter in the center. The resulting explosion destroyed the fighters next to it.

"Thanks Fox!" Krystal said.

"Any time Krystal!" Fox replied.

Fox flew past the _Cloud Runner_ to engage another umbra platform and Krystal quickly followed. The _Arwing II_ and the _Cloud Runner _opened fire upon the platform and destroyed it.

"Falco, how are things on your end?" Fox asked.

"These fighters are dropping like flies!" Falco said angrily.

"Is there a problem Falco?" Krystal asked.

"I'm beating him in kills." Axios said jokingly as he was looking at a score tracker on his cockpit's HUD.

"Oh boy…" Slippy said. "I bet Falco is having a fun time with that."

"I can handle the bird, don't you guys worry." Katt said.

After a brief minute of engaging the forces, the Star Fox team had advanced through the first line of perimeter defenses.

"I can't believe they'd come back…" the Area 6 commander said.

"Sir!" Caiman said. "They've breached the first line!"

"Radio the Black Suns fleet! Tell them to form up along the second and third lines! We do not let them through!"

The Star Fox team was quickly approaching a line of enemy frigates. As they got within range, the frigates opened fire.

"That's a lot more ships than before!" Slippy said.

"We're going to break through that fleet!" Fox said.

The seven ships regrouped and started an attack run on the multiple frigates that were firing upon them. Fox and Krystal were opening fire upon one frigate, Falco and Katt were firing upon another, Slippy and Amanda were firing upon a third, and Axios was harassing several frigates further up the line.

"ROB!" Axios said. "I could use a hand here!"

"Location confirmed." ROB said. "Sending supplies."

Axios noticed a flashing white square on his radar and saw a floating crate.

"Um… What?" Axios asked.

"Shoot the crate and fly through the package." Fox said. "Never done a supply drop before?"

"Never needed it until now!"

Axios locked on to the crate and fired upon it. He flew through the crate and his system readings had indicated that he picked up a smart bomb.

"Smart bomb huh?" Axios said.

Axios U-turned back towards a frigate and was barrel rolling to avoid laser fire. He locked on to the frigate's bridge and fired the smart bomb. The resulting impact detonated the entire ship and Axios quickly pulled out of the blast radius.

"Whoa!" Axios said.

"Gotta love smart bombs eh buddy?" Falco asked.

"No kidding!"

After another brief minute, the Star Fox team destroyed the next line of frigates and was proceeding through Area 6.

"They're through the second line!" Caiman said.

"Fire!" the Area 6 commander said. "Fire! Fire! Don't let them through!

"_Great Fox_ has scanned Black Suns frigates entering the zone." ROB said.

A small group of Black Suns frigates were forming up behind the ranks of the defensive fleet's third line. They were all significantly larger than the remnants of Andross's frigates and carried a lot more fire power.

"Oh crap…" Slippy said. "Those are definitely bigger frigates."

"We can do this!" Fox said. "Form up on me and we'll take them together!"

The Star Fox team formed up on Fox's wing and they pushed through the last line. The many frigates were opening fire and they were also joined by the Black Suns frigates firing upon the team as well.

"Hey ROB!" Slippy called out. "How about a hand here!"

"_Great Fox_ engaging." ROB said.

The team saw several massive lasers came from above them and impacted several frigates in the area. The team continued to assault the first line of frigates and they were quickly approaching the Black Sun's frigates.

"Fox?" Krystal asked as she was looking at four Black Sun frigates in a line firing at the team.

"Engage those frigates!" Fox said.

"With pleasure." Falco and Axios said.

"Make way for Katt!" Katt said.

The three of them split off to engage one frigate while Slippy and Amanda engaged the second.

"Careful Amanda!" Slippy said. "Those guns are locked on to ya!"

Amanda was dodging laser rounds as she was harassing the frigate.

"You be careful too!" Amanda said.

Fox and Krystal went to engage the third frigate. However, they were being harassed by laser fire form the fourth and they were having more difficulty.

"Fox!" Krystal said. "We can't take these ships head on like this!"

"ROB," Fox said, "can you provide support?"

"_Great Fox_ engaging." ROB said.

Fox ans Krystal quickly flew out of the way from a series of massive laser fire approaching them. With the combined efforts of the _Arwing II, Cloud Runner_, and the _Great Fox_ the frigate was destroyed. Fox and Krystal went to the fourth frigate to engage and again they were assisted by the _Great Fox_'s main laser canons. After another few minutes, the second frigate was destroyed.

"Keep it up!" Fox said. "Only two more!"

Fox and Krystal flew to the next frigate to assist Slippy and Amanda.

"ROB!" Slippy said. "Hit me up will ya?"

A white square appeared on Slippy''s radar and he flew towards it. He picked up a smart bomb from ROB's supply drop and U-turned towards the frigate.

"Starting my run!" Slippy said.

The _Bullfrog_ started to open fire upon the exterior of the frigate leaving only destruction in its wake. Slippy managed to blow a hole in the exterior and he veered straight up over the frigate. He U-turned straight into a dive towards the hole and he fired the smart bomb right into it.

"Three… two… and one…" Slippy said.

The frigate was destroyed from the inside and the entire ship detonated as Slippy reached the end of his countdown. The team regrouped and all targeted the final frigate. After a series of attack runs upon the exterior and laser fire from the _Great Fox_, the team was successful in destroying the last frigate. They breached the last line and were now approaching Venom.

"The last line has been breached!" Caiman said.

"Dammit!" the Area 6 commander said. "Radio the Black Suns! We have intruders and need reinforcements!"

After a brief minute, the team noticed a large series of hostiles appear on their radars.

"Fox!" Slippy said. "We got problems!"

"The entire Black Suns fleet is coming after us." Axios said. "They definitely know now."

"Where's gramps and the Cornerian fleet?" Falco asked.

After a brief moment, another series of contacts appeared on the teams' radars.

"_Great Fox_ has detected the 1st Engagement, 3rd Clearing, 5th Excelsior, and General Hare's 1st Husky fleets on the far side of the planet." ROB said.

Soon the team received a call through their radios.

"You kids didn't think I'd leave you did you?" Peppy asked.

"We're here to protect and serve." Roberts said.

"And we're here to end this war today." Steele said.

"So let's not delay with touchy reunions and get on with this." Toran said.

On the far side of Venom, the fleets were quickly converging on the main Black Suns fleet. The Black Suns changed their course to engage the Cornerian military leaving the Star Fox team to continue their insertion towards the planet. The Cornerian fleet numbered more than three dozen war class frigates, and nearly another dozen capital ships.

"All ships!" Peppy said. "Open fire!"

One by one the ships of the Cornerian fleet were opening fire upon the Black Suns fleet. They were successful in destroying three frigates instantly as the Black Suns were turning their ships around. After a brief moment, the two fleets were engaging head on and the Black suns ships had launched their fighters into space.

"General!" a raccoon said. "They launched their fighters!"

"Launch all fighters." Peppy said. "Tell them to target the enemy fighters. All destroyers, target their first line."

Within the hangars of the capital ships, hundreds of Cornerian fighters were being launched into space.

"Yee haw!" Bill said. "All right boys time for some payback! Husky, and Bulldogs on me! Let's take them down hard!"

Fox could not believe what he had just heard.

"Bill!" Fox said. "You're here?"

"Wouldn't miss this fight for the world! It's good to hear ya buddy!"

Fox was filled with a tremendous amount of joy to hear Bill's voice.

"We'll keep these guys off your tail!" Bill said. "Now get planet side and finish this all right? Give them a beating for me pal!"

"Will do!" Fox said.

"Fox," Peppy said. "So far things are going according to plan. You should be clear for planet side entry. Get down there and-"

Peppy was silence as he noticed a large yellow beam come from Venom and destroy one of his destroyers. The resulting detonation rocked the nearby friendly frigates.

"Sir!" a hound said. "We just lost the _Cepheus_!"

"What in the hell was that?!" Peppy asked.

"It came from the planet sir!"

The thought quickly returned to Peppy.

"Fox, get planet side now and take out the _Shroud!"_ Peppy said. "It's going to tear the fleet apart!"

"Got it Peppy." Fox said.

Fox looked at the rest of his team.

"You heard him!" he said. "Let's go!"

The Star Fox team slammed on their boost pedals and approached Venom at maximum speed. Anticipating their arrival, One was arming himself within Black's large circular throne room. Black was simply watching One from his darkly lit cell while One was gearing up.

"The _Shroud_ has just claimed its first victim." One said as he strapped a blaster to his side. "I'll go to my ship and protect the _Shroud_ myself."

One reached towards the wall and pulled out a small katana sword. He then turned towards Black.

"Master," he said, "I'm leaving guards outside your door in case the worst comes to pass."

"No." Black said.

"Master?"

"Tell the men to prepare for the arrival of Star Fox, but leave none by my door. Your brother is coming, and he will eventually make his way here."

"How do you know this?"

"It is simply fate. When Two arrives, I will keep him here."

"Then let me finish him!"

"No."

"Master please, let me-"

"When two arrives, I will close the doors behind him. I want you to deal with the rest of the team, but I will handle Two personally. I want you to leave me, do you understand?"

One was reluctant to accept Black's plan, but he nodded his head and he kneeled once more before Black.

"Thanks you master." One said. "For everything."

One stood and started to walk away from Black.

"Good bye master." One said as he left the throne room.

Black simply relaxed himself and took a deep breath. He reminisced about the moment when Axios first approached him in person.

"It's a shame it had to come to this…" Black said.

One made his way to the bridge of the floating fortress.

"Continue to fire upon the Cornerian fleet." One said. "The Star Fox team is coming. I want men to protect this room and the engine room. Also, deploy a squadron of fighters to protect the _Shroud_."

After One delivered his commands, he left the bridge and quickly approached the hangar. There were insurrectionist troops all around him mounting their fighters while One mounted his _Archangel_. He launched his fighter out of the hangar and was followed by a squadron of fighters as he flew towards the _Shroud_. The _Shroud_ was hovering roughly a thousand feet over the acidic oceans of Venom and One flew towards it to become its escort. He saw the _Shroud_ fire again as he approached it and it likely struck another Cornerian ship causing it to explode.

"Spread out." One said into his radio. "Protect the _Shroud _at all costs."

After a few minutes of patrolling the _Shroud_, One noticed a new set of contacts in his radar. He looked closely and saw seven contacts quickly approaching the _Shroud_. He pressed a button on his console and activated his stealth drive. As soon as his ship was invisible to both sight and radar, he used his warp drive to warp himself behind the new set of contacts. Upon leaving his warp, he saw the Star Fox team flying right in front of him.

As One came out of his warp, Krystal sensed something behind her. After gently touching One's thoughts, she screamed.

"He's behind us!" Krystal called out.

One deactivated his stealth drive and started to fire upon the Star Fox team. The team quickly broke formation and One activated his stealth drive again.

"Damn." Falco said. "I hate these mods…"

"There's the _Shroud_!" Slippy said.

The team was looking upon the _Shroud_ and they saw roughly a dozen fighters protecting it.

"All right, this is it guys." Fox said. "Falco, Katt, Slippy, and Amanda will take the _Shroud_ while Krystal, Axios and I will take the base."

As the team split their formation, Fox, Krystal, and Axios were fired upon by One and they were forced to turn away from the base. They soon heard One's voice over their radios.

"I won't let you near that base while I'm still breathing." One said.

Axios grew more and more tense as One continued to harass them. He gripped his controls tighter and bore his teeth. His frustration started to grow and soon he came to a decision.

"Fox, Krystal, go on without me." Axios said.

"Not a chance, we need you to get us into the base!" Fox said.

"Axios, I know what you're thinking." Krystal said. "Don't let him throw you off your composure. That's just what he wants."

"And that's what he'll get." Axios said. "The hangar doors are not reinforced, just blast your way through them at these coordinates."

Fox and Krystal saw a location marked on the exterior of the base. It highlighted the hangar bay doors that lead into the base.

"I need to do this…" Axios said. "I'll be haunted by him every day for the rest of my life if I don't deal with him."

Fox was still uneasy from Axios's words.

"Axios, you can't-"

"We'll handle the base." Krystal said. "Fox, he can handle One; I know he can."

Fox pressed a button on his console and the image of Axios in his cockpit appeared on his HUD. Fox could see the determination in Axios's eyes, and he took a deep breath before his next words.

"Once you're done with One," Fox said, "come find us in the base. We'll need your help."

Axios looked right at Fox within the HUD.

"I will." Axios said.

"Krystal," Fox said, "Form up on me, we got work to do."

"Be careful Axios." Krystal said as she left with Fox.

One noticed Fox and Krystal approaching the hovering base a second time and he turned to engage them. However, the instant he deactivated his stealth drive, he was fired upon by the _Nightshade_. One instantly broke off his engagement from Fox and Krystal and turned away from the base. He looked to the side and he saw the _Nightshade_ form up right next to him. Although the cockpits of each fighter were tinted deep black, Axios and One were looking at each other dead in the eyes.

"Corvo…" Axios said.

"Save it Axios…" One said.

"Is this it?"

"No, this is it for you."

"So is that all you have to say…?"

"There's nothing else to say."

"Corvo…"

"Say what you want. When the day is over, only one of us will still be standing."

"Fine…"

Axios and One both broke their formation and flew in opposite directions.

"Let me say this, One." Axios said. "I don't care about what One will try to do to me. I don't care if he even kills me. But before I die, I want to see that Corvo is still in there somewhere. I still love him like the brother he always was."

One was stirred by Axios's words. He started to feel doubt within him. Never the less, he shook those feelings out of him and turned to engage the _Nightshade_.

"Corvo is dead." One said. "And you will join him soon."


	27. The Belly of the Beast

_Hello Star Fox fans! I appreciate you all reading the story so for and I appreciate all the reviews you guys have been giving me. I know many of you choose not to, but I appreciate you taking the time to read my story regardless. This is my first fan fiction I've done and I'm really happy it received as much attention as it did. You guys are the best! __ Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

(P.S. I may have already mentioned this, but I left a treat for you guys in the Star Fox forums page. Try looking for a cover photo similar to the one for Black Sun for a nice little surprise.)

27. The Belly of the Beast

~War had engulfed all of Venom. The Cornerian military was pressuring the planet from orbit, and the Star Fox team was attacking planet side. Following Axios's suggestion, Fox and Krystal proceeded towards the Black Suns base leaving Axios to deal with One. At the same time, Falco, Katt, Slippy and Amanda were attacking the _Shroud_.

Quickly approaching the base, Fox and Krystal were flying to the coordinates that Axios had left them. They opened fire upon the hangar bay doors but they were unsuccessful in penetrating the fortress's shields.

"How do we get past the shields?" Krystal asked "Our lasers aren't doing anything!"

"We'll find a way." Fox said. "The fighters have to exit through the shield somehow; we'll find a way in then."

After a brief moment, Fox caught his opportunity. The hangar doors were reopening to deploy more fighters into the air.

"There!" Fox said. "The doors are opening!"

Fox and Krystal quickly piloted their ships towards the hangar doors. As soon as fighters from the inside were coming outside, Fox and Krystal shot down several of the exiting fighters and managed to get inside the hangar. The doors quickly closed as soon as they got inside.

"Let's make sure the others can get in too." Krystal said.

"Right." Fox said.

The two of them put the _Arwing II_ and the _Cloud Runner_ into a hover and they opened fire upon the hangar doors from the inside. Their laser fire made a hole in the doors large enough for any other fighters to get through. After a brief moment on creating the hole in the doors, they noticed that guards were running into the hangar and they were opening fire upon their ships.

"Time to get to work." Fox said.

"Let's do it." Krystal said.

While Fox and Krystal were clearing the hangar, Falco and his team were working on destroying the Shroud. Despite the majority of the team attacking the _Shroud_, they were having difficulty penetrating the _Shroud's_ armor.

"Slippy!" Falco said. "This thing got a weak spot or what?"

"Our lasers aren't doing a thing!" Katt said.

"I'm working on it!" Slippy said.

"Well work faster!" Falco said. "I can't attack a super weapon and keep bogeys off my tail at the same time!"

Falco was flying within close proximity to the _Shroud_ while trying to flee his pursuers. Along with its reinforced armor, the _Shroud_ had an array of turrets to aid in its defense; which were also harassing Falco.

"This keeps up I'm going to get shot down…" Falco thought.

To add to his tensions, a trio of fighters had managed to get behind the _Skyclaw_. They locked on to Falco's fighter and started to open fire.

"I could use a hand here!" Falco said.

Katt was nearby and she turned the _Cat's Paw_ towards Falco.

"I won't let anything happen to him…" Katt thought.

Katt managed to get behind Falco's pursuers and she locked on to the central fighter. She released a charged shot and managed to shoot down all three fighters. Katt formed up on Falco's wing and gave Falco a wink.

"Now who needs rescuing?" Katt cheerfully said.

"All right pussy cat," Falco said, "I guess I owe ya."

Falco and Katt continued to fly amongst the _Shroud_ targeting the fighters protecting it. Slippy and Amanda in the meantime were targeting the turrets on the _Shroud_ and trying to find any weak points. However, some strange was appearing on Slippy's HUD.

"Amanda!" Slippy said. "I'm getting a major power reading!"

"From where?" Amanda asked.

"From inside the _Shroud_! I think it's about to fire!"

Slippy and Amanda could see the main canon of the _Shroud_ open and there was a yellow glow coming from within. As the _Shroud_ started to power up its main canon, all the insurrectionist fighters quickly scattered. Falco noticed that the fighters were retreating and that the _Shroud_ was powering up. Within a brief moment, he quickly got the message.

"GUYS! MOVE!" Falco yelled.

There were a series of flaps and panels that were opening up along the exterior of the _Shroud_. Falco, Katt, Amanda, and Slippy quickly flew away from the _Shroud_ as it fired its main canon into orbit. The resulting blast caused a shockwave that staggered all the fighters within close proximity of it. Among those fighters were Falco, Katt, Slippy and Amanda. Their fighters started to abruptly shake and their engines had stalled.

"I… can't hold her!" Falco said.

"This is turbulence at its worst!" Katt said.

"Use those G-diffusers!" Slippy said. "Try to stabilize!"

"My ship can't stop shaking!" Amanda said.

After a moment, the yellow hue of the massive canon disappeared and the _Shroud_ was powering down. The insurrectionist fighters returned to engage the disoriented Star Fox ships. However, despite being shaken, Slippy noticed something. At the midpoint of the _Shroud_'s exterior, four yellow cores rose from within and each one was steaming.

"There it is!" Slippy said as he regained control of his fighter.

"What?" Falco asked. "What is it?"

"Shoot the cores! Those have to be cooling units! We take those down then the _Shroud_ can't fire!"

"All right!" Katt said. "Finally, something to shoot at!"

"Then let's not waste time." Amanda said.

As the four ships moved to engage the cores, they received a call from Peppy.

"Falco!" Peppy coughed. "F-Falco! Come in!"

"Peppy! You all right?" Falco asked.

"The _Shroud_ just took out the _Dauntless_ destroyer. That ship was right next to mine and the explosion rocked my flag ship and we've taken some damage from debris flying everywhere!"

"Peppy!" Slippy said. "You got to get out of there!"

"No! I need to stay and hold the line up here! Hurry up and destroy the god forsaken weapon!"

Falco and Slippy grew tenser and Katt and Amanda were feeling the same upon hearing the news.

"We need to finish this now!" Falco said.

Falco slammed on his boost pedals and he targeted one of the cores. He was quickly joined by Katt and the two locked on to the first core. The _Skyclaw_ and _Cat's_ _Paw_ opened fire on the core, and after a brief moment they destroyed it. Falco and Katt flew away from the destruction and Slippy noticed that the _Shroud_ was losing power.

"That thing is actually losing power!" Slippy said.

"Yea! It's working!" Falco said.

"We need to hit the other three!" Amanda said.

"But they just retracted back into the _Shroud_!" Katt said.

The team turned away from the _Shroud_ and engaged the nearby fighters to pass the time. After a few moments of destroying the enemy fighters, Slippy noticed the _Shroud_ was powering up again.

"Guys!" Slippy said. "It's charging up!"

"Then let's move!" Falco said

The four ships sped away from the _Shroud_ to the minimum safe distance they needed. There were a few insurrectionist fighters that could not escape the shockwave of the canon fire and their ships were shaken to pieces. After a brief moment, the cores were exposed again, and the team targeted them.

"Now! While they're exposed!" Amanda said.

Falco and Katt targeted the second core while Slippy and Amanda targeted the third. With the combined barrage of the four fighters they were successful in destroying the two cores. Slippy scanned the _Shroud_ again and saw that its power was down to twenty five percent.

"We've almost got it!" Katt said.

"Kill of those remaining fighters!" Falco said. "We can't afford to lose the next core!"

However, to add more pressure, they received another call from Peppy.

"Team," Peppy said, "come in!"

"We're working on it gramps!" Falco said. "We've found the weak points and we're about to finish this thing!"

"Listen, we just lost the _Renegade_, and that was Steele's personal capital ship…"

"You mean he's…" Slippy said.

"Just take down that gun; Peppy out."

The team was disheartened at the news. They grew furious at the _Shroud_ and they saw that it was charging up again.

"Get clear!" Falco said.

The four fighters again sped off to the minimal safe distance and the _Shroud _fired its destructive canon once more. As the final core was exposed, the four fighters targeted it and unleashed a barrage of laser fire upon it. After a few moments, they destroyed the core and the _Shroud_'s power level read zero.

"Woo hoo!" Slippy exclaimed.

"We did it!" Amanda said.

"Peppy come in!" Falco said. "We neutralized the _Shroud_!"

There was no response in the radio.

"Peppy? Come in!" Falco repeated.

They soon heard static in their radios and Peppy's scrambled voice.

"C-come in!" Peppy said. "-vacuate n-now! Tor- shot dow- transferred the bom-!"

"Slippy, can you clean this up?" Katt asked.

Slippy pressed a series of button on his console.

"Try it now." Slippy said.

"Peppy, can you hear me?" Falco asked.

"GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Peppy said. "Toran's destroyer was hit and he's going to crash it into the _Shroud_!"

"WHAT?!" Falco, Katt, Slippy, and Amanda said.

After a brief moment, they could hear Toran over their radios.

"L-listen you fools…" Toran said. "I voluntarily signed up for this mission… Don't you dare spite me for what I'm about to do!"

The team could see the Toran's _Deliverance_ destroyer entering the Venomian atmosphere. The ship was half destroyed, and smoke and flames engulfed the back of the capital ship. Within the bridge, there were multiple destroyed terminals and sparks and flames engulfed the bridge.

"Toran you crazy fool!" Falco said. "You've got the nuke on board your ship! You're going to kill us all!"

"HA!" Toran laughed. "You really think I'd do this with a 125 megaton payload aboard my vessel? The Hades Bomb was transferred to General Hare's flagship upon my vessel being struck by the _Shroud_. The damn canon only succeeded in destroying my engines, but my vessel is no longer combat worthy. I already evacuated my crew, and this commander will go down with his ship. This mission will still proceed as planned!"

The team noticed that _Shroud_ powering up again.

"Guys!" Slippy said. "It's powering up!"

"But we destroyed all the cores!" Katt said. "How is it still firing?"

They saw the _Deliverance_ quickly approaching the _Shroud_.

"This is how you destroy something as massive as this…" Toran said. "I wish you all luck. Give One my regards…"

The team sped away from the _Shroud_ as it was powering up. They looked over their shoulders and saw the _Deliverance_ speeding towards the _Shroud_. Right before the massive canon could fire, Toran rammed the _Deliverance_ destroyer right into its main gun. With no cores to stabilize the canon, the _Shroud_ fired and destroyed both itself and Toran. The resulting explosion rocked the atmosphere and generated a shock wave that stirred all ships within a mile. The Star Fox team's fighters were abruptly shaking upon the explosion, and they struggled to maintain their altitude.

Peppy looked closely through the window of his flag ship and saw a white spot coming from Venom's surface. The crewmen of the multiple ships in the Cornerian fleets were cheering at the knowledge that the _Shroud_ had finally been destroyed. However, they lost all communication with Toran and the _Deliverance_.

"Sir," a crewman said. "The _Deliverance_ has been-"

"I know." Peppy said. "I know… All ships! The Hades Bomb is still intact, and is aboard my flag ship. Continue your assault and eliminate the remaining Black Suns ships!"

Despite the Cornerian's considering the _Shroud_'s destruction a victory, there was still a battle to be fought planet side. Throughout the duration of the Star Fox team engaging the _Shroud_, One had been exchanging fire with Axios in the most heated dogfight they had ever had.

"Corvo!" Axios said as he was firing upon One. "Just give it up!"

One used his warp drive to get behind Axios. As soon as he got a lock on, Axios activated his slide thrusters and aimed behind him. Axios fired at Corvo forcing him to withdraw and then Axios pointed his ship in the proper direction again.

"My name is ONE!" One shouted as he locked on to Axios again. "I'm sick and tired of you trying to change that!"

One managed to get behind Axios again and he started to open fire. Axios banked to the side and put his ship into a barrel roll to evade damage from One's lasers. He activated his slide thrusters again and drifted backwards to fire upon One.

"Your name is Corvo Faxton!" Axios said. "You were my brother! I looked up to you! I loved you!"

Axios was able to get the _Nightshade _behind the _Archangel_. He started to open fire but he did not lock on to One. He would not shoot down his own brother.

"Your aim is pathetic!" One said. "Shoot me down! Don't try to fight passively!"

One pressed a button and activated his stealth drive. As soon as Axios saw him disappear he started to look all around the sky for any signs of a warp.

"Corvo," Axios said, "You can't remember can you… You can't remember all those times where we stood up for each other? You can't remember the day our parents died?"

One was simply flying circles around Axios listening to his words. One was feeling more and more conflicted throughout the dogfight. He bore his teeth in anger and lowered his head. After a brief moment however, he could hear Black's voice.

"Kill him." Black said.

One raised his head and his left eye started to glow red. One turned straight towards Axios and Locked on.

"Die…" One said.

One came out of his stealth drive and unleashed a barrage of laser fire upon the _Nightshade_. Axios tried his best to pull out of harm's way but his right wing was shot off.

"Argh!" Axios yelled as a minor explosion cracked his windshield.

Axios looked to the side and saw the damage. He knew he couldn't continue this fight and so he tried flying towards the Black Suns fortress. However, One locked on to Axios again and charged another laser round. Axios panicked, and he tried to speed away from One's lock on. However, he was unsuccessful.

"Good bye, brother." One said.

"Are you really about to kill your own little brother? Are you going to kill me Corvo?!" Axios asked.

Upon hearing those words, One froze. Flash backs of him and Axios training together in their child years and them fighting together as bounty hunters recurred to him. His head started to tremble and he heard a high pitch siren within him. He gripped his head as pain started to course through him. To put an ease on his pain, he heard Black's voice again.

"Kill him One." Black said.

One gripped his flight controls again and locked on to Axios one last time. Before he could fire however, the _Archangel_ was fired upon by the _Skyclaw, Cat's Paw, Bullfrog,_ and the _Tadpole_.

"Hands off my friend!" Falco said.

"What kind of man tries to kill his own little brother?" Slippy said.

"You're going to pay for all the pain you've caused!" Amanda said.

"This is for everyone you've killed!" Katt said.

One was forced to break off his engagement on Axios. As soon as he was clear of the danger, he activated his stealth drive and disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Katt asked.

"Doesn't… Matter…" Axios said. "We need to get to the base; Fox and Krystal need our help!"

"Axios!" Falco said. "You all right?"

"I'll be fine. Let's get going!"

One retreated back to the fortress as well. He could hear Black's voice in his head as he started his landing run.

"Do not fail me, One." Black said. "The punishment will be very severe if you fail."

One approached the hangar of the floating fortress.

"I won't fail." One said.

On the other side of the fortress, the remaining Star For ships found a large hole on the exterior of a hangar door. They flew through it and found the _Arwing II_ and the _Cloud Runner_ already docked inside the hangar. They also saw small arms fire from the ground as Fox and Krystal were exchanging fire with a squad of insurrectionists.

"Surprise!" Slippy said as he was firing upon the insurrectionists from the _Bullfrog_.

As soon as the remaining insurrectionists were dealt with, the rest of the team landed their fighters and Fox and Krystal went to join them.

"You guys made it." Fox said.

"This fortress shook pretty violently a few minutes ago." Krystal said. "Was that-"

"Toran blowing up the _Shroud_." Falco said as he was dismounting the _Skyclaw_. "His ship took a hit so he crashed it against the _Shroud_. He transferred the bomb to Peppy before doing so."

"Then, Toran is…" Fox said.

"Yea, he is." Slippy said.

"How is the fight up in orbit?".

"They're holding strong." Amanda said.

"Without the _Shroud_, I'm sure they can handle orbit now." Slippy said.

"So we just take out this base and then we're done." Katt said.

"Ok, then we'll-"

Fox stopped as he noticed Axios dismounting his fighter. He noticed that part of Axios's combat armor was torn through and he had a wound on his side. He slowly approached the team with his blaster in one hand and his other over his wound.

"Axios!" Fox said.

The team turned to him and they rushed to his aid.

"I'm fine." Axios said. "This is just a scratch."

"You might be tough but don't be dumb." Falco said.

"You need first aid." Krystal said.

"I got this." Slippy said as he turned and walked towards his _Bullfrog_.

Slippy reached into his cockpit and grabbed a first aid kit and brought it to Axios. He opened it and pulled out a syringe along with a small silver canister.

"This might sting a little…" Slippy said.

Slippy gently stabbed the syringe into Axios's arm and injected some pain killers.

"That wasn't so bad." Axios said.

"That was just painkillers..." Slippy said. "THIS is going to sting."

Slippy opened up the small silver canister and pulled out a small tube filled with a think silver fluid. He cracked it open and dropped the fluid on Axios's open wounds. Staying true to Slippy's words, Axios felt stinging and burning like no other.

"Damn…" Axios said.

"Told you so." Slippy said.

After a brief moment, the fluids sank into the wound and then evaporated into the air. Axios's wound was closed and he felt no more pain.

"Good as new." Slippy said.

"Thanks." Axios said.

"All right," Fox said, "now that we got that sorted out, it's time to get to work. We're going to split up to bring this base down. Axios, Krystal and I will look for the bridge while Falco, Katt, Amanda and Slippy bring down this base's main shields. As soon as you complete your mission, get back to this hangar and we fly out of here before Peppy drops that bomb."

The team was in agreement and they nodded their heads. However, Axios was feeling uneasy. He looked around the hangar of the fortress and noticed many similarities from the original Black Suns base in Corneria. Krystal looked at Axios and noticed that there was something wrong.

"Axios?" Krystal asked. "Are you all right?"

Axios was still simply looking about the hanger.

"I've been here before…" Axios said. "This… This is the old base… But how did they get it out from under ground?"

"Underground?" Falco asked.

"The original Black Suns base was at a secret location in Corneria. No one was able to find it because the entire fortress was roughly ten stories underground."

The team was in shock.

"So, that explains how they knew so much about us." Fox said.

Axios lowered his head and he came to a decision.

"Listen," Axios said, "There's something I need to do here. I can't go with you guys."

The team was in shock.

"Axios," Fox said, "This is really a bad time to go off on your own. If you've been here before, then you can guide us all to our destinations."

"You don't understand… There original Black Suns leader is here, in this base."

"Whoa!" Falco exclaimed. "What do you mean "original" Black Suns leader?"

"Corvo was never the leader, only the second in command. There was someone else, who had a higher authority, someone who…"

Axios cut himself off as he froze in place. The thought had just occurred to him. He remembered when he was first captured by the Black Suns and when Corvo revealed his mechanical self for the first time. Then he remembered looking through the monitor in Black's room at Corvo before surgery. Axios quickly connected the dots, and the reality sank into him. He finally realized that Corvo's cybernetic enhancements were placed into him under Black's orders.

"Black!" Axios said.

"Black?" Fox asked.

"The original leader was known as Mr. Black. He is the one responsible for all of this! He is the one who corrupted my brother!"

"Corrupted?" Krystal asked. "What do you mean-"

Krystal was interrupted as she saw a grenade flying right in front of her eyes. Time slowed down for a brief moment as she saw a flashing light on the grenade signifying that the grenade was about to detonate. The rest of the team was frozen at the sight of it right in between all of them. Krystal quickly pulled out her staff and swung at the grenade knocking directly up into the air. She planted her staff into the ground and the weapon extended. After a brief moment, a blue field surrounded her and the rest of the team and as time returned back to normal; the grenade detonated yet the team was safe underneath Krystal's shield.

The team quickly came back to reality and pulled out their weapons to engage the insurrectionist troops that were quickly approaching them. They took cover behind their ships and opened fire upon the Black suns troops.

"Proceed with the mission!" Fox said.

While it seemed hopeless before, Axios had now felt a spark within him. The thought of being able to save Corvo had settled in, but before he could do that; he would have to confront his devil.

"Fox…" Axios said as he was firing upon the insurrectionists.

"What is it Axios?" Fox asked.

"I need to find Black."


	28. Demons

_Hello Star Fox fans! Here comes the home stretch of the story, and we've come so far. Wars come and go, but our soldiers always remain eternal. The Star Fox team is close to completing their ultimate objective, and it would seem that Axios is about to confront his demon. Thanks again for reading my story! Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

28. Demons

~The team had split up just as they planned. Falco, Katt, Amanda, and Slippy were to look for the fortress's shield generator to shut it down while Fox, Krystal and Axios were going to look for the bridge. With Axios's memories slowly returning to him, he guided the teams through the base. However, security was swarming their movements, and One was still lurking about the base.

Amidst the turmoil, Fox, Krystal, and Axios found themselves pinned down within a hall way a short distance from the stations bridge. Fox was standing on the opposite end of the hall from Axios and Krystal while he was firing down at the insurrectionists in his path.

"Axios!" Fox said. "Are you sure it's down this hall?"

"I'm sure of it!" Axios said. "The bridge is down this hall and to the right!"

"We need to get past these guys!"

"I got an idea!" Krystal said.

"Same plan?" Fox asked.

"Yes, let's do it!"

Fox got behind cover and Krystal extended her staff. Axios was confused at first as he saw Fox and Krystal temporarily retreat behind cover.

"Wait? What plan?!" Axios said.

The staff's energy slowly started to radiate, and soon the staff was glowing. Axios saw a glowing orb hover at the bottom of Krystal's staff as she gripped it tightly.

"Axios!" Krystal said. "Brace yourself!"

Axios quickly dropped to the floor and placed a hand on the ground to steady himself. Krystal leaped into the air and slammed the staff onto the ground using the earthquake ability. The resulting shockwave staggered all the insurrectionists within the hall and Fox and Axios took that opportunity to open fire. One by one the insurrectionists fell to the rounds of Axios's blaster and Fox's rifle. After a brief moment, the last insurrectionist had fallen, and the trio exited their cover.

"Clear." Fox said.

"What the hell was that?" Axios asked.

"My staff is a great gift." Krystal said. "This earthquake ability is one of many different powers my staff contains. Another example was the shield I used to protect us from the explosion of the grenade."

A flashback of Katia quickly returned to Axios. He remembered seeing Krystal do the same when the bomb inside the outpost blew up.

"So, that's how you saved us on Katina." Axios said.

"God bless that staff." Fox said.

Krystal smiled and sheathed the staff behind her back. She drew her blaster from her holster and the trio continued to move through the halls. After a brief minute, the trio came up on a large set of double doors. Axios studied the doors for a brief moment and his memories started to return to him.

"This is the first door to the bridge." Axios said. "Its two feet thick with reinforced depleted uranium layers every four inches. There is a hall way in between this door and the final bridge door, and then we're good to go."

"So how do we get through it?" Krystal asked.

"We'll have place a charge on the door locks to blow them out individually." Fox said. "Slippy, can-"

Fox was silenced as he saw the massive double doors slowly start to crack open. He looked to the side and noticed that Axios had his hand on a hand print scanner and he was looking into a retinal scanner. Fox also noticed a green light just over Axios's head as Axios back away from the console.

"Apparently," Axios said, "They never removed me from their systems."

Fox was frozen as Krystal started to giggle to herself.

"Fox?" Slippy asked over the communicator. "Did you need something?"

"Never mind Slip." Fox responded.

The trio stood in front of the doors as they finally opened their way to the bridge hall way. However, they were frozen at the sight of a black hooded figure standing in the middle of the hall way staring at them. They saw one of the figure's eyes start to glow and they saw a katana blade emerging from the sleeve of its robe. After studying the figure briefly, the trio realized it was One.

"You took your time…" One said.

Fox and Krystal did not waste any time. Fox aimed and fired his rifle and Krystal fired her blaster. However, One held out his hand and a red shield emerged from his mechanical arm that deflected all of Fox and Krystal's' rounds.

"How did he…?" Fox asked.

"It's because he is half synthetic and half organic." Axios said. "He was injured during one of his mission back in the day and he required cybernetics to keep him alive. It looks like his cybernetics also had a few modifications."

"You remember…" One said.

Axios stepped in front of Fox and Krystal to face One and One dropped his blade and removed his robes to reveal the top half of his cybernetic features. Fox and Krystal were shocked to see One's true form, and they were puzzled on how to handle him. One picked up his blade and split it into two separate blades.

"Fox, Krystal," Axios said, "I'll handle this."

"Axios, don't be a fool." Fox said. "We need you to-"

"There's another way into the bridge, Fox. Take the hall way to your right and then make the first left. That hall way will lead you to a side entrance into the bridge."

"Axios, you can't possibly take him on your own." Krystal said.

"I've done it before. I can do it again."

Axios pulled out his knife and drew his pistol. He placed a fresh clip into his pistol and stepped towards One.

"I won't say this again…" Axios said. "Go now. I'll be fine."

"Be careful Axios." Krystal said.

Axios looked over his shoulder to see Fox and Krystal proceed down the hall. As soon as he saw them make the left towards he next bridge entrance, he focused his gaze back onto One.

"You seem very eager to die." One said.

"Corvo," Axios said, "I know you're in there. Just give me a sign all right? We can get through this."

"Corvo is dead, and you will join him soon."

"We'll see."

Axios and One sprinted towards each other baring their blades within their hands. As they came within reach, One swung for Axios's head. Axios slid on his knees under the blade and attempted to stab his knife into one of One's legs. One quickly retracted his leg and swung his second blade straight down on Axios. Axios dove out of harm's way and quickly aimed his blaster at One. He fired three rounds only to see them deflected away by One's blades. Axios quickly stood from the ground as One was charging him. One lunged out towards Axios with one blade while swinging for Axios's chest with the other. Axios quickly ducked under the first blade but was caught off guard by the second. He used his knife to block the second blade but the force of One's swing knocked Axios off his feet and onto the ground.

"Damn…" Axios thought as he was pushing himself off the ground.

Axios looked up and noticed One was coming down from above to slash at him again.

"Die!" One exclaimed.

Axios rolled to the side and aimed his blaster; however One swung his second blade and sliced the blaster in half.

"No more guns!" One said in an angry fit. "Fight me now!"

Axios took a step backwards and saw that half of his blaster was missing. He saw One charging him again so he threw what was left of the blaster back at One. One sliced what was left of the blaster out of his way but distracted himself by doing so. Axios seized that moment to tackle One and he forced one of the blades out of One's hand. Axios took the blade and kicked One in the head to space himself form One. The two quickly stood and locked stares again, both of them holding one of the katana blades.

"Let's make this a little more fair." Axios said.

"Makes no difference to me!" One responded.

While the brothers continued their duel within the bridge hall way, and Fox and Krystal were making their way towards the bridge; Falco's team was nearing the shield generator on the other side of the base. His group was pinned down in a hall way surrounded by insurrectionists from their front and their back. Falco and Katt were taking cover inside a room adjacent to their hall way while Slippy and Amanda were taking cover in a room opposite from them.

"Slippy!" Falco said as he was firing his blaster. "How much further?!"

"It should only be another hundred meters down these hall ways!" Slippy said.

"We won't make it past twenty meters if this keeps up!" Katt said.

"We won't even make it out of these rooms!" Amanda said.

Falco poked his head out of his cover to try to gauge how many insurrectionists were blocking their routes. He noticed that there were five insurrectionists in front of them and that there were four behind them. Falco reached behind his back for a clip to reload his blaster but he felt something else instead. He pulled his hand forward and realized that he had a grenade.

"Oh yea…" Falco thought. "I forgot about this."

Katt took a moment to look at what Falco was holding.

"Um… Falco?" Katt asked.

Falco lifted his thumb to pop a cap on the top of the grenade. He pushed a button that was underneath the cap and tossed it at the insurrectionists in front of the group.

"Fire in the hole!" Falco called out.

The four of them retreated back into their cover and after a few seconds, the grenade went off. The resulting explosion killed the group of insurrectionists in front of them relieving the pressure off themselves. The four of them then turned their fire backwards, and after a brief minutes, they managed to kill the insurrectionists behind them.

"Clear!" Falco called out.

"Clear!" Slippy called out.

"All clear!" Amanda said.

"Thank god." Katt said.

"Let's get moving guys, we don't have too long." Falco said.

The team moved down the hall way towards the coordinates that Axios forwarded to them; after a few minutes of moving through the halls and picking off stray insurrectionists, they arrived at the shield generator doors.

"This is it." Slippy said.

"Then let's finish this." Falco said.

The team reloaded their weapons and Slippy walked over to a nearby console.

"Looks like it's a hand print and retina scanner." Slippy said.

"Can you get through it?" Amanda asked.

"I can get through anything. Just give me a sec"

"You'll have to work fast!" Katt said.

The team turned and noticed another group of insurrectionists coming towards them.

"Slippy work on the door!" Falco said. "We'll hold them off!"

Falco, Katt, and Amanda all took cover behind some nearby crates that they had found. As soon as the insurrectionists were within firing range, the trio opened fire. The insurrectionists were being kept out of the generator hall way with the combined fire from Falco, Amanda, and Katt.

"How much longer Slippy?!" Falco asked.

"Just another minute and I'll be good!" Slippy responded.

Falco, Katt, and Amanda continued to fire upon the insurrectionists keeping them away from the entrance to the hall way. However, one of them managed to get a shot off that went towards Slippy. The round impacted the wall roughly a few inches away from the console. Slippy instantly ducked and turned to fire at the insurrectionists.

"That was too close guys!" Slippy said.

"We're trying here ok?" Katt said.

"How much longer?" Amanda asked. "They just keep coming!"

"They really don't want us in that room." Falco said.

Slippy focused his attention back on the console. After a brief minute, Slippy was successful in hacking through the scanners, and he opened the doors.

"I did it!" Slippy said.

"Inside!" Falco said. "Now!"

The four of them ran into the shield generator room and quickly killed of the few unprepared guards inside. Slippy ran to a console of the inside of the room and he closed the doors. Afterwards, Slippy punched in a few buttons on the door controls and he was successful in locking the door.

"That was too close." Katt said.

"Hey guys," Falco said, "get a load of this."

The team walked over to Falco's position and they were now looking at what he was looking at. They were gazing upon a large blue sphere being held within a larger rotating metallic sphere. There was also a series of rods rotating around the sphere and spokes were extruding from the rods towards the sphere.

"That must be the shield generator." Amanda said.

"Wow," Slippy said, I give these guys props for their engineering. Cornerian tech is at least three years behind these guys."

"How long did this all take to build?" Katt asked.

"Doesn't matter to me." Falco said. "We need to blow this thing and call in the bomb."

"Ok bird brain, how do you propose we do that?"

Falco leaned back and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm open to ideas." he said.

"Let's look around." Slippy said. "We might be able to find something to shut down the shields."

The four of them split up and searched the many terminals of the shield generator. They looked about the many terminals within the room but they found nothing about shutting down the shield.

"For all of these terminals and their infinite wisdom…" Falco said. "It seem like this shield was never meant to be shut down in the first place."

"You can't make a shield that'll never power down." Katt said.

After a brief moment of searching, Slippy found a terminal that had power schematics for the shield.

"Hey guys!" Slippy said. "I think I got something!"

The team approached Slippy at his terminal.

"It shows that those four spokes up there rotating around the sphere are what manage the shield's power output." Slippy said.

"Meaning…?" Falco asked.

"Meaning that if we destroy the spokes then the shield will overload. That blue sphere inside all of that is concentrated blue arc energy that has been rotated many times over to form a sphere. The shield is comprised as the same arc energy our hyper drives use to put our ships into hyperspace jumps."

"Then how did the Black Suns make a shield out of all this?" Katt asked.

"During hyperspace, blue arc energy is required in our engines to keep our ships going. When in the middle of hyperspace, that blue energy does work on the ship to keep it going. It gives of its energy to propel the ship. The Black Suns must have found a way to contain it into one sphere like they did here. That sphere is giving off its own energy to the rest of the ship, and the spokes rotating around the sphere continue to feed it more and more energy to keep their shield up."

"All right," Falco said, "then let's take out those spokes."

Falco pulled out his blaster and fired off several rounds at the spokes. However, none of this blaster rounds came remotely close to the spokes as they were deflected away from another shield surrounding the entire generator.

"Damn…" Falco said.

"There's another shield Slippy." Amanda said. "How do we get rid of it?"

Slippy focused his attention back to his terminal and started looking through some of the files. He found the secondary shield schematics, and noticed something strange.

"I found something…" Slippy said. "But this doesn't make any sense."

"What is it?" Katt asked.

"It says that that shield is powered by a source within this room, but that source has been moving this whole time."

"Moving power source?" Falco asked. "So where is it now?"

Slippy looked up and so did the rest of the team. Above them, hidden in the ceiling, was a glowing red light. They looked more closely and noticed that the light had started to move. Falco pulled out his blaster and fired a round at the light. However, the light moved away to dodge the bullet, and they saw a black figure disappear into the ceiling.

"I think we're in trouble…" Falco said.

They saw the glowing light again behind a set of terminals on the opposite end of the room from them. The four of them aimed their blaster at the light and waited for the figure to reveal itself. However, it jumped behind the terminals and then jumped onto one of the walls.

"What is that thing?" Katt asked.

"I'm not sure," Slippy said, "but that thing is the source of our second shield."

They kept their back towards each other as they scanned the room for the figure to appear again. To their dismay, the figure was actually right above them within the ceiling. After a brief moment, the figure hopped down from the ceiling and landed in-between the four of them. They all fell forward and they turned and saw the figure. The figure was a tall, black robot with six limbs. The robot had one glowing red eye in the center of its head, and each of the robotic limbs had three sharp metallic claws on the end. There were spikes extruding from its back, and the figure resembled the design of the sand leapers from Titania.

On the other side of the base, within a darkly lit red cell, Black was sitting there with his eyes closed. Though he could not see through his own eyes, he was looking through the eyes of the robot that was attacking Falco, Katt, Slippy, and Amanda.

"More of them…" Black thought. "Better hurry…"

Black took a deep breath and then he exhaled. The tubes that were connected to his back were also connected to a control device. He was able to control most of the defenses of the base with his thoughts. At the moment, he was controlling the robotic beast with his mind, and he could only think about eliminating Falco and his team.

"Move guys!" Falco said.

The four of them quickly got up and they fired at the robotic beast. They saw it leap from the ground straight back into the ceiling and it disappeared.

"Where is it?" Katt asked.

"Stay close!" Slippy said. "And watch your backs!"

The team scanned the room carefully and the found no sign of the robotic creature. After a brief moment, it jumped from the shadows straight towards Katt. Katt quickly ducked down underneath the robot and fired several rounds at it.

"There! There!" Katt said.

The four of them opened fire upon the creature and a few blaster rounds impacted it. The creature climbed onto a wall and disappeared into the shadows again.

"Come on!" Falco said. "Don't tell me machines are complete cowards too!"

"You'll see…" Black thought.

The creature locked its gaze onto Falco's back. It slowly lowered itself to the ground level and slowly approached Falco from behind. Slippy looked over his shoulder and saw it stalking Falco.

"Falco!" Slippy said. "Behind you!"

Falco quickly turned but the robot had already lunged out at him. The robot stabbed its claws into Falco's shoulders and it dragged him across the floor towards the corner. Falco let out a cry of pain as he felt the claws digging towards his bones. Katt froze at the sight for a moment and then sprinted towards the robot out of complete anger and shock. Slippy and Amanda quickly followed at the sight as well.

"Falco!" Slippy called out.

"You monster!" Amanda cried.

"NO!" Katt cried as she fired at the robot.

The robot clung onto Falco as tight as it possibly could. Falco let out another cry of pain as the robot tried to carry him up a wall and into the ceiling. However, despite the pain, Falco gripped his blaster tightly and aimed at the robot. He fired off several rounds into the robot's bellyt and after hitting a vital spot, the robot dropped him. Falco landed feet first on the ground but instantly fell over as he couldn't move his arms. The sight of his condition put Katt into tears, and she quickly rushed to his aid. Slippy and Amanda were right next to her keeping an eye out for the robot to appear again.

"Falco!" Katt cried. "Falco! Please!"

Katt kneeled next to Falco gently holding his neck up and looking at his injuries.

"E-easy there pussy cat…" Falco lightly said. "This is just a scratch…"

Katt couldn't bear to see Falco in the condition he was in.

"We need to get him out of here!" Katt said.

"No you need to destroy that damn shield…" Falco said. "Kill that robot, and just leave me here in the corner. I can still fire a gun."

"We'll stick close to Falco and draw that thing out of hiding." Slippy said.

"I'll stay here with him." Katt said.

"That's fine." Amanda said.

Slippy and Amanda were both slowly moving out into the center of the room while Katt and Falco remained in the corner. Slippy and Amanda were pointing their blasters everywhere looking out for the robot. Unaware that the robot was actually stalking them from the opposite corner, Slippy slowly turned his back to the robot.

"Die…" Black thought.

The robot lunged out from the corner but Slippy quickly ducked underneath it. He noticed an entry wound from where Falco had shot it as it dove over him. Slippy quickly got up and sprinted towards the robot. He leaped out at it and managed to land on its back. The robot tried to shake Slippy off its back but Slippy clamped onto the metal monster as tight as he could.

"Amanda!" Slippy said. "Shoot the belly!"

Amanda aimed at the robot and noticed the same wound that Falco made. She fired off several rounds and noticed that the robot was falling backwards. However, Amanda ran out of bullets, and the robot charged Amanda as she was trying to reload. However, before the robot could swipe at her neck, several blaster rounds came from over her shoulders impacting the robot in the belly. She turned to notice that Falco and Katt were both firing from the corner. With Slippy still trying to hold the robot in place, the team ultimately exposed a red, soft, and muscular like weak spot in the belly after shooting off the armor that protected it.

Slippy was eventually shaken off the robot and was thrown into a corner. The robot quickly covered its belly as it tried to escape the team. However, Katt sprinted at the robot and tackled it as it tried to climb up a wall. As the two of them fell on the floor, Katt pulled out a knife and started to stab the exposed belly of the robot. She stabbed it repeatedly and Slippy and Amanda joined in shooting it.

After a brief moment, the red belly was bleeding out red fluids, and the robot had been eliminated. Falco took that opportunity to aim at the shield generator and he started firing at the spokes. One by one the spokes fell out of place and the blue sphere was exposed for the rest of the team.

"Open fire…" Falco said.

Following his order, the team fired at the sphere. After a few moments, the room started to vibrate as the sphere started to expand. The team quickly took cover behind terminals and desks in the room. After a brief moment, the sphere dispersed and a shock wave knocked all the terminals over and turned the desks. The team stood to look at the empty shield generator, and Katt helped Falco on to his feet.

"Fox." Falco said.

"Falco!" Fox said. "What's your status?"

"The shield is down. We destroyed the generator."

"Great job Falco!"

"Now we can call in the bomb right?"

"Not yet. Listen, we've got a problem."

Fox and Krystal were in the bridge of the base and they had just cleared it out. However, they opened the main door to the bridge hall way and they found that Axios and One were not in the hall way. Fox took a moment to explain the situation to Falco. Falco in turn explained his condition to Fox.

"All right." Fox said. "I want you to head back to your ship and get out of here. You did your part, now we can do ours."

"Yea but where the hell is Axios?!" Falco asked.

Within the center of the base, a duel of fates had reached its end. Axios was thrown into a large circular room and was badly beaten. He had a black eye and he had several cuts throughout his body. One walked up next to him to present him to Black. However, One also had cuts throughout his body, and his mechanical limbs were leaking fluids. One slowly dropped to his knees and used one of his arms to support him.

"M-master…" One said. "Here is Two…"

Looking down upon them both, Black was sitting in his chair in his darkly lit cell. He looked down at Axios and Axios looked up to him.

"It's good to see you again, Two…" Black said.


	29. Freedom

_Hello Star Fox fans! It has been a long journey, and I was happy to present this story to you from start to finish. All the past events have lead up to this moment and from the bottom of my heart I thank you. Leave a review if you would like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

29. Freedom

~This was the one place that haunted Axios to his core. It was the one place he tried so hard to forget, and the one place he vowed never to return to. However, whether he wanted it or not, he was brought before the devil, and it was his own brother that brought him there.

"I have been waiting…" Black said. "For a long time… It's not like you Two to turn against your family, and have us chase you around Lylat in this fashion."

Axios was silent as he was still face down on the ground. He slowly pressed his hands on the ground and he rose to one knee. He tried to stand but One quickly turned and kicked him back onto the ground.

"Stay down…" One said. "You don't deserve to stand in his presence."

Axios's wounds were catching up to him, and his vision slowly started to become blurry. His entire corpse screamed at him in pain, and there was no medical attention to be offered to him.

"Tell me." Black said. "Why Two? Why did you betray us?"

Axios looked up towards Black and shot him a look of disgust; instead of answering his question, Axios spat on the glass wall in between him and Black. One kicked Axios in the gut and the pressed his foot onto Axios's back to keep him onto the ground.

"Answer him!" One said.

Axios was completely incapacitated. He was unable to fight back, and he was completely at the mercy of Black and One. He took a deep breath and looked up at Black a second time.

"I'll repeat my question…" Black said. "Why did you betray us Two? Why are you flying alongside Star Fox?"

"It… is simple…" Axios said. "The Black Suns… It's just a name, a name to instill fear into the hearts of its enemies. For the longest time, those enemies were the corrupt Cornerian bureaucrats and military leaders. But when the enemies became helpless citizens, women, and children; what was the point."

"You must also be referring to your Luna…"

"What's it to you… Three, Four, and Five lead that raid on their own."

Black looked deep into Axios's eyes and gave Axios an evil smile. Black lowered his head and started to quietly laugh. After a brief moment, Black raised his head and both of his eyes were glowing hot red. He had a large, crooked smile on his face as if though evil had completely taken hold of him.

"Three, four, and Five?!" Black said. "You belligerent fool; the Black Suns do not make a move unless I give the order! Your beloved Luna and the rest of her pathetic colony were burned to ashes because I ordered it so!"

Axios's eyes widened at Black words, and he was completely frozen.

"It was pitiful, watching you weep in the medical bay on the _Void_." Black said. "Love is sickening, it is a curse, and we did you a favor of ridding it."

With those last words, Axios was paralyzed. He couldn't move a muscle due to the shock he received. He was in complete disbelief, and he could only think about revenge.

"You…" Axios said. "Ordered that raid…?"

"Did you really believe One when he told you that Three, Four, and Five did that attack on their own accord?" Black said. "No, I was the one who ordered that attack. No Black Suns member will go on an operation without my final approval."

Following his words, a storm of hate was brewing within the back of Axios's mind. His eyes widened at the sight of Black confessing the truth about Luna's death, and his world had started to turn. Without thought, he forced himself from the ground and shoved One off to the side. He charged the glass wall between him and Black and started to pound on it with all his might. One quickly came up behind Axios and grabbed his shoulders to hold him back. Quickly after, he threw Axios into the center of the room and stood between him and Black.

Axios slowly stood form the ground and faced One and Black. He had his hand over the side of his rib where One had delivered his previous kick. He was taking several deep breaths as he was trying to lessen the pain that was coursing through his body.

"You…" Axios said. "Are a monster…"

"And you…" Black said. "Are an instrument at my disposal. You were a valuable tool to be used to inflict pain. The death of your beloved Luna is on your hands."

Axios lowered his head as Blacks words continued to drive his emotions into a deeper state of sadness. However, Axios let loose a faint smile and then lifted his head as he grinned at Black. Black was confused at Axios's sudden change in tone as Axios slowly started to let out a small laugh.

"What seems so damn funny?" Black asked. "Even you wouldn't be laughing at her death."

"No…" Axios said. "I am laughing… at yours."

To Black's surprise, One turned around and delivered a mighty punch with his mechanical limb that went straight through the glass wall. The resulting blow shattered the entire wall, and One stood before Black giving him an evil look. Black lifted his head in shock at the sight he had just witnessed.

"You…" One said. "You took my life, you took my freedom, and you nearly took my little brother…"

One slowly started to approach Black with fists ready to kill.

"Now…" One said. "I'm going to take it all back…"

Black was completely unaware of the events that transpired before One brought Axios before him. The brother's duel was the most intense fight they have ever had. Axios and One were equals in fighting skills, and their duel carried them out of the bridge hall way into fortress's cybernetics wing. It was within the cybernetics wing where One first received his implants and cybernetic limbs.

Axios was fleeing from One at the moment, and One continued to chase after him with his blade in hand. Upon entering the cybernetics wing, Axios was quickly frozen at the sight of all the mechanical arms that were moving about the area. The arms were all operating with cybernetic limbs by installing upgrades to their movements and their strength. The room was mainly used by One during his times of maintenance and his upgrades.

To move him from his temporary state of shock, Axios quickly turned his head and noticed a blade quickly approaching him. He ducked down and swung his blade at One. However, One caught his blade with his mechanical hand, and forced it out of Axios's hand. One then kicked Axios in the chest and Axios fell backwards into the cybernetics wing. After a brief moment, One was now holding his two blades once again and he charged Axios.

"Nowhere to run now little brother!" One said.

"Guess not." Axios responded.

One swung both of his blades for Axios's neck, and Axios quickly ducked underneath. He grabbed one of One's arms and threw One over his shoulder. As One hit the ground he dropped both of his blades, and Axios quickly jumped over One to put his mechanical arm into an arm bar. However, One was a lot stronger than what Axios had previously anticipated, and therefore One used his one arm to completely lift Axios off the ground and throw him across the room. Axios was thrown into a set of computers that were mounted on the wall. The resulting force of impact destroyed the computers and sparks flew form the wall.

"Don't think you can beat me in strength little brother…" One said as he picked up his blades and was approaching Axios. "You cannot over power my cybernetics."

Axios quickly stood up and charged One. He tried to punch One square in the face but One simply dodged his punch and cut Axios across his leg. Axios quickly fell to one knee and placed his hand over his wound. One quickly tried to slash his second blade straight down onto Axios but Axios quickly rolled to the side. He could not stand properly as his leg was in a tremendous amount of pain. One quickly charged Axios again and tried to stab him while on the ground. Axios rolled off to the side again but One kicked Axios in his gut and sent Axios sliding across the room floor.

"You're wounded now…" One said. "That's a shame. I expected so much more from my own little brother."

Axios slowly stood from the ground and leaned up against a locker behind him. Axios quickly looked over his shoulder and noticed that it was a weapons locker. He quickly tried to open the locker but noticed that it was locked.

"Damn…" Axios thought.

Axios looked towards One again and noticed that One was charging him again. One lunged both of his blades towards Axios but Axios dodged to the side leading One to stab his blades through the locker door. One ripped his bladed out from the wall and the locker door revealing to Axios what appeared to be a special type of katana. One ran towards Axios again and swung for his chest this time cutting Axios across his flight armor. Axios fell back wards and placed his hand over his chest and noticed blood on his chest. However, he also noticed the locker and decided that he would need the weapon inside.

"Getting slow little brother…" One said. "Just lie down and die already!"

One lunged out towards Axios again and attempted to stab his blades into Axios's chest. Axios took this moment to dodge to the side and he rolled towards the locker. He reached out and grabbed the blade in the locker and gripped it tight. To his surprise, he noticed that the blade was actually a chainsaw sword and there was a small electrical pulse being sent through the blade.

"Whoa…" Axios said.

Axios noticed One's facial expressions turn from sadistic joy to genuine surprise.

"Now…" Axios said. "I think I'll go beyond your expectations..."

Axios charged One with his new blade and One in turn charged Axios. The two of them swung their blades at each other and the blades collided. However, Axios's chainsaw blade effortlessly cut through both of One's blades, and One quickly jumped backwards to avoid being cut himself.

"What's wrong?" Axios asked. "Not afraid of your little brother now are you?"

Axios had gained the upper hand. He swung for One's chest and One ducked under his swing. Axios took that opportunity to knee One in the head. As One stood straight up from the blow, Axios delivered a kick right into One's chest. Axios was successful in knocking One back onto the ground, and he leaped out towards One with the blade ready in hand. However, One lifted his legs and kicked Axios backwards. The resulting kick caused Axios to crash into a terminal.

"Don't think your new butter knife will give you victory!" One said.

Axios stood from the terminal and picked up his blade. However, he noticed something familiar in the terminal monitors. He studied the terminal for a quick moment and realized that the terminal was linked to a series of microscopic robots that were flowing within One's blood stream.

"So that's how Black did it…" Axios thought.

Axios quickly had to move away from the terminal to dodge a punch from One. One ended up smashing the monitor destroying the terminal. Axios swung at One and One stepped backwards to dodge Axios's blade. While the two were temporarily spaced out, Axios looked around the room for another terminal with schematics on One's cybernetics.

"There's got to be a way to free him…" Axios thought.

After a brief moment, Axios noticed another terminal that wasn't destroyed. He knew that he could shut down Black's control over One by controlling that terminal. However, he needed to find a way to stall One long enough for him to access the data. Seeing no way to hold One in place peacefully, Axios came to a conclusion.

"Sorry Corvo…" Axios thought.

Axios charged One and was swinging his blade towards One's neck. As One ducked, Axios delivered another knee to One's head. Axios then kicked one of One's legs out from under him causing One to fall on one of his knees. One tried to retaliate by delivering a punch but Axios used his blade and sliced open One's arm. As fluids started to spill out of his limb, Axios took this moment to kick One square in the chest and knocking him on his back. To make sure that One could no longer stand, Axios took the blade and stabbed it through One's shoulder and driving it into the ground. One let out a cry of pain as the blade pieced through part of his flesh as well as his cybernetic arm. One looked up at Axios and noticed a face full of hate and anger, and he decided that this was the moment to break Axios.

"Go ahead…" One said. "Do it… Kill me… Kill your older brother."

Axios took several deep breaths as the rush of anger and adrenaline was slowly passing. Axios released his grip on his blade and walked away from One.

"Axios!" One said. "Don't you dare walk away from me!"

"I won't kill you…" Axios said. "I'm going to set you free."

One noticed that Axios was walking over to a terminal that controlled his cybernetics. One quickly tried to pull the blade out from within him, but the pain caused by moving his other shoulder prevented him from moving.

"Axios!" One said. "Get away from there! No!"

"I'm going to save you…" Axios said as he approached the terminal. "And then… Black is going to pay."

Axios started to work with the console on the terminal and soon schematics of One's cybernetics appeared on screen. Axios pushed several more keys and he found the controls to the robots inside One. He found a setting to deactivate the robots permanently, and he took a deep breath.

"Bring him back." Axios said.

Axios pushed the final key, and soon a process had started. Axios turned and saw a robotic arm approaching One while he was still pined on the ground. He also noticed that the robotic arm had a syringe filled with blue fluids and it was approaching One's neck. One tried again to take the blade out of his shoulder, but Axios quickly came and held his arm down.

"Just be still." Axios said.

The arm slowly came down and targeted One's neck. It slowly approached its mark and One tried desperately to free himself.

"No! No!" One said. "NOOO!"

The arm stabbed the syringe into One's neck and slowly started to inject the blue fluids. One felt pain beyond compare, even worse than his normal maintenance routine. However, after a brief minute, the fluids were completely injected inside One, and the arm retracted back into the ceiling. Axios noticed that One was now taking deep breaths, and was calming himself. Axios quickly pulled the blade out of his shoulder and One let out another cry of pain.

At this moment, Axios had his fingers crossed.

"What is your name…?" Axios asked.

As One continued to take deep breaths, Axios noticed that his eyes were now brown instead of red. One appeared to have calmed down completely as his breathing was now steady.

"What is your name?" Axios asked.

"Corvo… Faxton…" **Corvo** said.

Upon hearing those words, joy quickly filled Axios's heart, and he was relieved. Corvo slowly sat up from the ground and gripped his head as a massive head ache slowly sank in. Despite being under Black's control, Corvo was still aware of the crimes that he committed, and was feeling sick to his stomach knowing he nearly killed his own little brother. Corvo looked at Axios, grabbed his arm, and quickly pulled him in to embrace him.

"You…" Corvo said. "Axios… Listen… I- I'm so sorry…"

A tear was brewing in both of their eyes, and they simply could only sit there and enjoy their moment while they had it.

"I…" Corvo said. "I tried to kill you… No Black tried to kill you, by using me… Believe me Axios, I tried to resist, I tried but…"

"Relax all right?" Axios said. "You're fine now. Forget about it. I'm still here, and that's all the matters."

Axios and Corvo both stood and took several deep breaths to relieve themselves of the pain they caused on each other.

"I have done… Unspeakable things." Corvo said. "There is no way anyone could forgive me for what has happened with the Black Suns."

"But you're my brother." Axios said. "I forgive you regardless."

"No… How could you? I nearly took your life multiple times, I took the lives of thousands of Cornerian soldiers, and now I'm the most wanted man in all of Lylat. Axios, I'm a monster…"

"No…"

Axios placed a hand on Corvo's shoulder.

"You're my brother." Axios said. "And right now, you can redeem yourself by helping me and Star Fox destroy this place."

Corvo took some more deep breaths and thought it over. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to prison regardless. However, he could help minimize his sentence by helping Axios.

"Ok, I'll help you." Corvo said.

Axios smiled at the thought the he was again going to work with his brother. He took a few minutes to explain the original plan created by Star Fox and the Cornerian military. After Corvo was now filled in, the two decided that they needed to confront Black.

"I see." Corvo said. "Makes sense, but the shield needs to be brought down before you can call in the bomb."

"Falco and his team can do that no problem." Axios said.

"What about Fox and Krystal?"

"They'll handle the bridge."

"Then comes Black…"

"We need to get close to him."

"He won't let you close if you're standing like your fine. And he still hides behind a wall of glass."

"Fine, then make sure I'm not standing."

"I don't understand."

"You need to present me to him, which means that you need to win this fight. I have to look like I lost, and therefore you need to hit me."

"Axios, look at me."

Corvo gestured to himself and Axios quickly saw his point. Corvo had more cuts and bruises compared to Axios and it would require Axios to have a more severe beating to compensate looks.

"Corvo…" Axios said as he took a deep breath. "I'll take it just fine. Do what you have to do."

"I'm sorry brother…" Corvo said.

The beating that Corvo had to give to Axios made him feel completely uneasy. Axios was put into a worse condition compared to Corvo. However, the brothers were successful in their rouse, and Black was left completely undefended in the presence of Axios and Corvo.

"How…?" Black asked.

"He set me free…" Corvo said.

Black reached into his sleeve and pulled out his cane. However, Corvo grabbed it from his hands and threw it out towards Axios. Axios caught it and simply held onto it while Corvo reached out and grabbed Black's collar.

"You kill me…" Black said. "And you'll have the worst that Lylat can throw at you. I am just a cog in a larger machine, and you're going to make the others very furious!"

Corvo reached out and grabbed Black's throat. Black grabbed Corvo's metallic arms and held onto them as Corvo started to lift Black from his chair. Corvo looked into Black's eyes with the most evil stare he had ever given.

"Good…" Corvo said with an evil grin.

Corvo tightened his grip around Black's windpipe and pulled him out of his chair. The tubes that were connected to Black's back were ripped out of him and multiple colored fluids started to spill everywhere. Corvo simply held Black in the air by his neck while he saw Black slowly die in his hands. After a brief minute, Black's skin turned pale and he stop struggling within Corvo's grip. Corvo threw Black's lifeless corpse to his side and spat on his corpse.

"Good riddance…" Corvo said.

Axios walked up to Corvo and the two simply stared at Black's corpse.

"Without his fluids…" Axios said. "There was no way he could survive."

"No." Corvo said. "He's completely deprived of life, and I'm pretty sure I collapsed his wind pipe. He's dead."

"We should head back to the bridge. Fox and Krystal can-"

Axios was silenced as the base alarms started to sound off. The fortress started to abruptly shake and Axios and Corvo both fell to their knees.

"What's going on?!" Axios asked.

"We're being bombarded!" Corvo said. "Your friend Falco must have been successful in taking down the shield!"

The cause of their distress was mainly due to the fact that the Cornerian military was now targeting the base from orbit. The last of the Black Suns frigates were destroyed in the space battle above, and now the military was firing upon the Black Suns fortress.

"We need to get to the bridge now!" Corvo said.

"I need a communicator!" Axios said.

Corvo reached into one of his mechanical arm and pulled out a small ear piece from his bicep. He tossed it to Axios and Axios placed it into his ear.

"Fox!" Axios said. "Fox! Come in!"

Within the hangar of the fortress, the Star Fox team was loading up in their fighters getting ready to leave the base. The moment they heard Axios's voice over their communicators, they were filled with relief.

"Axios!" Fox said. "Where are you?! We aren't picking up your radio signal!"

Axios and Corvo were both sprinting towards the bridge.

"I'm heading towards the bridge right now with Corvo." Axios said. "Where are you-"

"Corvo?!" Krystal said. "What's One doing with you?"

"I'll explain later! Who is bombarding the base?!"

"Axios, listen." Fox said. "The Cornerian military has just wiped out the rest of the Black Suns fleet, and Peppy is going to deploy the bomb in three minutes. Krystal and I were looking for you, but we're out of time. The fleet is not going to wait since they want to destroy the base now. It only takes a minute for the bomb to impact the base, so you have four minutes to make it back to the hangar!"

"That's fine! We'll make it!"

"Hurry Axios!" Krystal said.

"Be quick!" Slippy said.

"Please hurry!" Amanda said.

"Get your tail moving bud…" Falco said.

"Hurry up Axios!" Katt said.

Axios silenced his communicator and him and Corvo both arrived at the bridge. They rushed to some monitors and they saw the chaos that was being rained down on top of them.

"Their entire fleet is firing upon this base!" Corvo said. "We don't have much time. I'm going to open the hangar doors for hangar seven which holds my ship. Its closer and this will just take a second."

"Corvo, we need to get to the hangar!" Axios said. "We don't have time to-"

Corvo looked up and his eyes widened.

"INCOMING!"

Corvo and Axios both dove away from their terminals as a large canon round from orbit had impacted the bridge and destroyed the entire front part of the room. The resulting explosion caught both Axios and Corvo and they were both launched backwards from the shockwave. Axios and Corvo ended up on either side of the bridge completely disoriented.

"Dammit…" Axios said.

Axios looked to the side and saw Corvo lying down on the ground. Axios rushed over to his brother and was shocked to see his condition. One of Corvo's arms was completely destroyed, and Corvo had blood coming from his mouth. There were multiple cuts across his chest and Corvo was breathing very faintly.

"Corvo!" Axios called out.

"Damn… Well… This sucks…" Corvo said. "L-listen…you have to keep going…"

Axios felt a tear coming down from his cheek as he was listening to Corvo's words.

"What?!" Axios said. "No! Not again! You're coming with me!"

Corvo coughed out more blood and grabbed Axios's collar.

"Listen to me…" Corvo said. "I'm not about to let my only family die like this…"

"Corvo please!" Axios said. "I can save you!"

Corvo leaned his head back and smiled. He gently placed his mechanical hand on the side of Axios's face and smiled.

"If only I had a real hand…" Corvo said.

Corvo gently removed his hand from Axios's face and reached for his belt. He pulled out a small key and handed it to Axios.

"Hangar bay seven." Corvo said. "She's yours now…"

Axios was in complete shock and he couldn't move from his position. Corvo gently set the key into Axios's hands and placed his hand on Axios's shoulder.

"Go…" Corvo said. "I'll say hi to mom and dad for you… all right…?"

Axios's tears started to roll down his cheeks at the sight of his brother leaving him.

"Corvo… Please… Don't go…" Axios said.

"I love you bro…" Corvo said. "Always have… Always… w-will…"

Corvo's hand slowly slipped form Axios shoulders and his last breath had left him. Axios stayed on his knees and he could not hold his tears any longer.

"Cor… vo…" Axios said. "No… no no no…"

Axios's grief was interrupted for a moment as Fox contacted him on his transmitter.

"Axios!" Fox said. "Axios! Peppy has deployed the bomb! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Axios couldn't move from his position. He was still frozen at the sight of his brother. After a brief second Axios stood and slowly walked away from his brother.

"I love you bro…" Axios said.

Axios turned and left the bridge and sprinted down the hall towards hangar seven. Despite his efforts, the Hades Bomb was already deployed, and the Star Fox team was already in orbit over the planet by the time Peppy deployed the bomb. Fox and the rest of the team were looking down onto the planet as they saw the bomb continue on its trajectory.

"Axios!" Fox said. "Are you clear?! Axios come in!"

There was a computer speaking into the communicators on every ship in the Cornerian military.

"Time on target, thirty seconds." The computer said.

"Axios!" Fox said. "AXIOS WHERE ARE YOU?!"

There was no response, and the team was silent at the sight of the Hades Bomb impacting the base. They saw a bright sphere of light emerge from the planet surface, and they received confirmation that the base had been completely destroyed. After a brief moment, the light had vanished all that was left was the mushroom cloud.

The team was completely silent as they were all heart broken. Axios was nowhere to be found, there was no locator on his ankle, and his communicator was reading static.

"Axios…" Fox said. "Axios, do you read?"

The team only heard static on his end of the line.

"Axios…" Fox said again. "Axios, do you read…?"

Again, there was only static.

"Axios-"

"Fox…" Krystal said as a tear came down her face. "He's… gone…"

Her words brought a tear to everyone's eyes. She had her fingers on her forehead trying to find any mental signal from Axios, but she found none. The team did not want to accept the loss of their friend as he felt like family, but with no signs of life they felt hopeless.

"Axios…" Fox said. "I don't know if you can hear me. But where ever you are… Thank you…"

Listening in on the conversation, Peppy simply stood within the bridge of his flag ship and his head was lowered. While the rest of the Cornerian military was cheering for their victory, Peppy felt as depressed as the Star Fox team.

"All ships…" Peppy said. "Set a course for Corneria. The day is won. Let's go home."


	30. New Beginning

_Hello Star Fox fans! I can't thank you enough for reading my story. It has been quite the adventure to write about, and I'm very pleased with all the reviews you guys left me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. The story is finally come to a close, and I leave you the final chapter. Leave a review if you'd like, and as always; enjoy the chapter!_

_~~...they push through the night, then they found the light... though they journeyed far, they were watched by a crimson star...~~_

30. New Beginning

~There was a large crowd of people gathered outside the Cornerian capital building. There was a whole crew of cameramen and reporters awaiting the final report of the Black Suns from Peppy. Peppy was inside the capital building rereading a set of papers he had in his hands. He folded them and placed them into his pocket.

"Transportation…" Peppy said.

"The car is waiting for you outside to take you to the memorial." An officer said.

"Attendance…"

"The Star Fox team is already there waiting for you. The funeral services are also waiting for you, and the memorial is complete."

"Do me a favor corporal…"

"Yes sir."

"Get rid of the damn press. I don't want to deal with them for now. Tell them to go to the memorial. I'll give my statement there."

"Understood."

The officer stepped outside told the press to meet the general at the memorial. After a brief minute, the press boarded their respective cars and drove to the park. When the last car left the street, a black caravan approached the street. Peppy stepped outside and walked towards a black limousine and entered the back seat.

"To the memorial." Peppy said.

"Yes sir." the driver responded.

The caravan took off and the cars drove towards Capital Park, the location where Axios took his walks when he was on Corneria, and the location where Corvo confronted him.

After several minutes of driving, the caravan arrived at Capital Park and was instantly surrounded by the press. People with cameras continued to take photos of the caravan, and after a brief moment; Peppy stepped out of his limousine. The camera men and the new reporters approached Peppy and started to question him about the Black Suns.

"Attention everyone…" Peppy said. "I will give my statement at the memorial service and say nothing more. Please be respectful as there are many people attending this service without their loved ones."

His words sank into every reporter that approached him, and the press slowly back away allowing Peppy to continue to walk into the park. Peppy walked into the middle of the park where there was a large stage set up for him. There were dozens upon dozens of rows of chairs all filled with officers and family members dressed in black. As Peppy approached the stage, everyone in their seats stood from their chairs.

Peppy walked up onto the stage and noticed the Star Fox team sitting in the first row. They were all dressed in black as well (minus the white sling that Falco had around his neck). Peppy arrived at the podium and placed his papers on top of it. He then adjusted his glasses and a spoke to the public. There was an amplifier on top of the podium that gave Peppy's voice more volume much like the conventional microphone.

"Good evening everybody." Peppy said. "You may all take your seats."

As everyone sat down, Peppy took a deep breath and continued on with his statement.

"Approximately six weeks ago," Peppy said, "a terrorist organization known as the Black Suns launched an attack on the 7th Anchorage Fleet, and destroyed the fleet entirely. You all already know this story. You know about how they attacked several colonies across Lylat and inflicted nothing but terror into the hearts of the inhabitants."

"Good luck old timer…" Fox thought.

"As of 1400 hours three days ago, an operation was launched to attack the Black Suns at their core. This operation was dubbed Clean Sweep, and as of 2200 hours three days ago, the operation was a success. The Black Suns were hunted down and eliminated, and their base of operations was completely destroyed."

Peppy paused as the crowd started to applause his last words.

"However…" Peppy said. "That victory did not come without cost. With no sacrifice, there can be no victory. I have brought you all here today so that we can mourn together. Today, we are here to remember the many lives that journeyed into the darkness, and did not return. Today, I share with you the marker that will forever serve as our memorial to this horrid conflict. Today, I share with you the Black Suns memorial."

Pappy pointed to a large white marble ring within the center of the pond. It stood roughly seven feet tall and had a fifteen foot radius. The ring was decorated with black engravings with all the names of the soldiers who died during the Black Suns conflict. However, there were a few names that stood out in larger letters compared to the rest. To Peppy and the Star Fox Team, there were only two names that pained them to see on the memorial. But to Fox and Krystal personally, there was only one.

"My self and other military leaders have dubbed the recent events as the Black Suns Conflict." Peppy said. "My we remember the sacrifices that were made to bring this conflict to an end."

After a brief moment, there was a group of soldiers who lined up next to the pond. They all stood in attention and were following the orders of their sergeant. After a few moments, the soldiers took their rifles and pointed them towards the sky. They fired seven shots into the air while the rest of the military saluted the memorial. As for the Star Fox team, they simply stood in silence. All they could think about was losing Axios, and it pained them as they continued to think about it.

After a few hours, the service was closed and the people were dismissed. Peppy returned to the Cornerian capital building with the rest of the military diplomats, and the press had got their share of news. The day slowly passed as the team was simply tending to themselves within the _Great Fox_. Falco, Slippy, Amanda, and Katt were all in the medical room tending to Falco's injuries. Falco was sitting on the edge of a medical bed while Slippy was examining x-rays of Falco's shoulders.

"Well," Slippy said, "that robot got you pretty good. Your shoulder blades were sliced up and fractured."

"Great…" Falco said.

"At least you're alive…" Katt said.

"Yea but I can hardly fly."

"Well, on the bright side you're going to make a full recovery." Slippy said. "It'll take several weeks but you'll be fine."

"You hear that Falco?" Amanda asked. "Only several weeks."

"Yea, weeks…" Falco said.

The team chuckled a bit and they all left the medical room. Falco looked out the window and saw that night time had fallen on the Cornerian city. Falco took a deep breath and continued to stare out into the view. Falco was completely unaware however that Katt was walking up right behind him. Katt took this moment to slide her hands underneath Falco's arms and she embraced him.

"Hey there." Katt said.

Falco took a deep breath and smiled. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, it felt good to have Katt holding him the way she was.

"Hey there pussy cat." Falco said.

"What are you doing here all by your lonesome?" Katt asked.

"I don't know. I'm just enjoying the view."

"Enjoying the view huh…? You're starting to sound like Axios."

Katt's words stirred some feelings in Falco. He took another deep breath and remembered that Axios did spend most of his time in the observation rooms. He remembered a conversation he had with Axios that brought back some joyful memories.

Falco walked into the starboard observation room to get some down time away from the team. To his surprise, he noticed Axios standing next to the window and looking out into the emptiness of space. Axios turned and smiled at Falco.

"Uh… hey there." Falco said. "You're in here a lot aren't you…?"

"I like the view." Axios said.

"But there really isn't much to see isn't there? I mean, it's just space."

Axios took a deep breath and smiled. He waved Falco to come to the window and Falco did.

"There's more to it if you just take the time to think." Axios said.

"What do you mean?" Falco asked.

"Look more closely. There is more than just the emptiness of space. There are other worlds out there and the stars too. If you just take some time to relax and think about what you may find out there, you find some peace with yourself knowing that there is opportunity waiting out there."

Falco didn't think too much of it at the time. But standing next to that window and looking out over the Cornerian landscape brought back those memories. Falco was thinking about all the people out there whose lives were saved because of the team's efforts. As he continued to think, he realized that Axios was right. He was at peace with himself knowing that there is plenty of opportunity out there waiting for all the people he saved. There was even opportunity waiting out there for him, and he was happy knowing that there was.

"You know…" Falco said. "I don't say this often, but I actually miss the guy."

Katt came up to Falco's side and noticed that Falco's facial expression turned sad. Katt brought her face close to give Falco a kiss on his check. Falco's face flushed red at what had just happened, but he lowered his head and smiled. Katt gently leaned her head on Falco's shoulder and Falco gently leaned his head on top of Katt's. The couple simply stood next to the window looking out over the Cornerian landscape.

Within the hangar of the _Great Fox_, Slippy, Amanda were relaxing on the observation deck of the hangar. They were looking out into the hangar and noticed that the hangar was missing one ship. Slippy was saddened with Axios's death, and he could only think about the joy he had rebuilding the _Nightshade_ and repainting it with the star Fox colors. He was sitting in a chair looking out into the hangar, and his eyes were focused on the empty space next to the _Arwing II_. Amanda walked up next to Slippy and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sweet heart…" Amanda said.

"It just doesn't feel right…" Slippy said. "He flew with us and protected us like we were his family. It just doesn't feel right to have him gone."

Amanda pulled up a chair and sat next to Slippy. She wrapped her arms around Slippy's neck and brought her face next to his. Slippy gently held on to Amanda's arms and embraced her.

"I miss him too you know." Amanda said. "He helped you save me back on Fichina, and he continued to help us out all the way to the end."

"I know…" Slippy said. "I just never got to say good bye."

"Don't you remember what he told us about that?"

Slippy quickly remembered a meeting Amanda and him had with Axios one night within the hangar of the _Great Fox_. The two of them walked into the hangar and found Axios lying down on top of the cockpit of the _Nightshade_. They were both a bit surprised to see him there.

"Axios?" Slippy asked.

"What are you doing down here?" Amanda asked.

"I'm just thinking…" Axios said.

"Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all."

Slippy and Amanda both pulled up chairs next to the _Nightshade_ and they conversed with Axios.

"What's on your mind big guy?" Slippy asked.

"You my therapist now?" Axios asked.

"No." Amanda responded. "Just feel like talking, that's all."

"Fair enough. I was just thinking about my parents."

"What about them?" Slippy asked.

"I never got to say good bye to them. I just realized that."

Slippy and Amanda were both silent. They felt sympathy towards Axios. However Axios's facial expression turned from sadness to joy.

"Hey," Axios said, "don't feel sympathy for me. Friends and family never say good bye."

Slippy and Amanda felt their spirits rise when Axios said those words.

"They may not be around anymore…" Axios said. "But they never really leave you. They're watching you, and they'll always find a way show you that."

"That's pretty optimistic of you." Amanda said.

"Don't you ever feel sad about what happened to them though?" Slippy asked.

Axios actually let out a small laugh at Slippy and Amanda's questions.

"Sad?" Axios said in a joyful tone. "Well sometimes. But they never said good bye, which means someday I'll see them again. It's just something I always keep in mind. If they don't say good bye, it means you have to see them at least one more time before you move on."

His words would forever be remembered in the back of Slippy and Amada's mind. Slippy and Amanda smiled as they remembered his words.

"He never said good bye." Amanda said.

"Guess that means he isn't really gone after all." Slippy said. "Thanks Amanda."

Amanda gave Slippy a kiss on the cheek.

"No problem sweet heart." Amanda replied.

While the two simply sat in the observation room, they watched ROB conduct maintenance on the fighters. They were enjoying their time together, and they simply decided to be alone. Despite the majority of the team relaxing in the _Great Fox_, Fox and Krystal were walking about Capital Park. The full moon illuminated the night clearly, and Fox and Krystal were walking with each other holding hands. As they walked, they eventually came upon the Black Suns memorial. There were lights coming from the pond that shined on the surface of the memorial and it illuminated the names that were engraved.

"The night is beautiful…" Krystal said. "And the memorial looks beautiful under this light."

"It does." Fox said. "Looks almost as beautiful as something I know…"

Upon saying his words, Fox gently brought his arm around Krystal's shoulder and gave her a smile. Krystal blushed at his flirtatious comment and simply embraced him. The two sat on a bench and simply gazed upon the memorial. However their attention was focused on one particular name. Fox was disheartened when he saw "Axios Faxton" written on the memorial. It only brought sadness to him, along with Krystal.

"Fox…" Krystal said. "Did Peppy find anything?"

"The drones that were sent to Venom found no sign of him…" Fox said. "Their scanners found no trace of the _Nightshade_'s energy trail, and there was nothing left of the base either."

"I see…"

Fox held Krystal close to him and the two got snug next to each other on the park bench.

"It's over though…" Fox said. "We did it."

"Thank goodness…" Krystal said. "Maybe now we can have a bit of peace in Lylat."

"And more time to ourselves."

After a brief moment, Krystal noticed something in Fox. She realized that Fox was actually becoming tense, and that he was getting more and more nervous. She was confused as to why Fox was having the sudden change in emotion. However, she realized that Fox was thinking deeply about something. But she didn't know what.

"Krystal…" Fox said. "There's something I want to say."

"Ok?" Krystal asked.

"You and I have been through hard times, but we've also shared so many good times as well. Despite everything that has happened in my life, I know there is one thing I absolutely cannot live without."

Fox slowly stood from the bench and Krystal did the same. Fox took her hands and stared deeply into her eyes.

"Krystal," Fox said, "words cannot describe how much you mean to me, and after collecting my thoughts over and over, I've come to the decision."

Krystal was in complete shock when Fox got on one knee. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small case. Fox opened it and Krystal saw the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. She placed her hands over her mouth and a tear was brewing in her eyes.

"Krystal…" Fox said. "Will you marry me?"

Krystal was collapsing inside as she was overwhelmed with joy and excitement. Tears of joy started to come down her cheek and she instantly made up her mind.

"Yes!" Krystal joyfully said. "Yes! Yes I will!"

Fox took the ring out of the case and placed it around her finger. After Krystal took a moment to look at it on her finger, she wrapped her arms around Fox's neck and the two shared a kiss. It was the most wonderful moment the two had ever had in their lives, and they held each other so close. After a brief moment, they gently drew their faces away from each other and smiled.

"I love you…" Krystal said.

"I love you too…" Fox said.

The couple was about to give each other another kiss, but Krystal froze in her place. She gently placed a finger on Fox's lip and she looked to the side at the memorial. Fox looked to the side but he saw nothing.

"Krysta-"

"Wait…" Krystal said.

After a brief moment, she saw it. She held Fox close and pointed out what she was looking at.

"Take a look." Krystal said.

Fox looked at the memorial and noticed a black, hooded figure standing on top of it. Fox was confused at first until he realized where the figure was standing. The figure was standing over Axios's name on the memorial, and Fox quickly made the connection. The couple noticed that the figure tossed something at them. Fox reached out and caught a small black PDA out of the air. The two looked at the PDA and unlocked it. They saw a message within the home screen and the two of them smiled.

"Congratulations." the PDA said.

Fox and Krystal looked back at the memorial and noticed that the figure was gone. However, Fox felt the PDA vibrate within his hand, and there was another message appearing on the home screen.

"I'm sure your kid is going to look just as beautiful as the mother."

Fox and Krystal chuckled at that last message and lowered the PDA. He and Krystal both looked into the night sky and saw a black ship fly within the moon light. The ship darted into the Cornerian orbit and disappeared from visibility.

With the Black Suns finished, there was peace in Lylat. The Star Fox team had done what they do best and they saved Lylat from a great danger once more. The team could move on with their lives, and the system could enjoy its time of peace.

The war was won, and the Black Suns Conflict has concluded. It marked a new beginning for all the citizens of Lylat, and a new beginning for the future of the Star Fox team.


End file.
